A KEY POINT
Breturn to play London detective John Luther has all but taken him out of the running to be the next James Bond, according to an MGM insider, who says the actor’s shooting schedule on the BBC show “Luther” would be very tough for filmmakers to work around. “It is sad news for those fans who felt he was the prime man to be the first ever black Bond,” says our insider. But with BBC filming set for next spring, we’re told that Elba’s TV dates clash with the planned film schedule for the Bond film. “By taking this job, Idris has essentially turned down 007.” Variety reported on June 12 that Elba (inset) would return to “Luther,” where he plays a complicated detective who hunts down killers while battling his own demons. Our insider says there’s no way 007 could do double duty. “It is no secret that MGM had been toying with the notion of getting Idris in,” we’re told. “He has as good a status as with a string of huge hits behind him as well as Golden Globes.” Craig successfully made his first appearance as Bond in 2006’s “Casino Royale,” but after the release of 2015’s “Spectre,” his fourth appearance as 007, the 49-year-old Englishman began expressing a lack of interest in carrying on as Britain’s most famous spy.
“I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists,” he told Time Out London after the film’s release.
Many fans had hoped that Elba, 44, a handsome tough-guy actor best known to American audiences as Stringer Bell from HBO’s “The Wire,” would star in the 25th Bond film, which producers hope to get onscreen by fall 2018. “Now, though, they are back to sweating over when Daniel will even come to the table over his future, and who replaces him if he is out,” we’re told.
There’s been no shortage of “next Bond” candidates on the rumor mill, including
did not return a request for comment. “Key and Peele” star (inset) is spending his summer doing the Public Theater’s “Hamlet,” but wants to set the record straight on the theater company’s production of “Julius Caesar,” which drew protests because the main character, who gets assassinated, bears a resemblance to President “Julius Caesar, (was) beloved by the people, held power and sway with the populace, (and was) murdered by bad people who then got their just deserts,” he explained at the premiere of “Friends From College” on W. 34th St. “So know what you’re protesting. It’s hilarious.” and And don’t be shocked if a plot twist sees Craig come back for another mission. Elba’s rep,