BEING JAMES BOND IS A TWEET DREAM
‘My name’s Elba, Idris Elba,’ he teases fans
The name’s Elba. Idris Elba.
The 45-year-old British actor fueled rumors and tweaked James Bond fans with a series of cryptic tweets on Sunday.
Daniel Craig has portrayed 007 four times, and is slated to play Bond again next year in a Danny Boyle-directed film.
The 50-year-old Craig has often hinted about soon parting ways with the secret agent character, and Elba has always seemed to be in the mix to replace him.
“My name’s Elba, Idris Elba,” the actor tweeted early Sunday. However, he later teased, “don’t believe the HYPE . . .”
Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan have also played Bond over the last half century.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli recently told director Antoine Fuqua that “it is time” for Bond to be played by a black actor, according to the Daily Star.
However, a representative for Fuqua told Cinema Blend that “The Wire” and “Pacific Rim” star has not had discussions about playing Bond.
“He never had a conversation with Barbara about the franchise or about any casting,” the rep told Cinema Blend. “It’s all made up stuff. Not sure how it got started.”
The idea of Elba suiting up to play the dapper 007 has been bubbling for years, particularly after his name popped up in a leaked email from Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal in 2014.
“Idris should be the next bond,” Pascal wrote.
Shortly after the email made the rounds, Elba said in a Reddit AMA that he would “absolutely” accept the role, should he be given the chance.
Elba has floated the idea since at least 2013, when he told The Huffington Post that if he ever was offered the role, it “would be the will of a nation. That would be like, ‘Wow, human beings are really powerful. They really made that happen, because Barbara Broccoli certainly didn’t.’ ”
The “Luther” star made the short list of speculated replacements again after a 2015 interview with Craig in which the actor dismissed the idea of returning for a fifth go-round as Bond.