Ten-year licence to kill could rule out Idris Elba
THE next James Bond must be able to have a licence to thrill for at least a decade – and that might kill off Idris Elba’s chances of being 007.
The movie franchise boss Barbara Broccoli said Daniel Craig’s successor will be someone who can commit to at least two or three films.
So 50-year-old bookies’ favourite Idris may be out of the running.
Ms Broccoli said: “We love Idris. The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off.When we cast Bond it’s a 10, 12-year commitment.
“He’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing?’ Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig] to.”
Daniel, 54, last played the iconic secret agent in No Time To Die last year – but was just 38 when his first Bond came out.
Ms Broccoli and fellow Bond producer Michael G. Wilson told Variety magazine: “Bond is evolving just as men are evolving. I don’t know who’s evolving at a faster pace.”
Daniel joined the Bond producers in Los Angeles for a charity dinner at the Will Rogers
Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
Idris said on HBO chat show The Shop: “I don’t think that playing Bond will satisfy some of my personal goals. It will definitely satisfy the will of a nation. “Every corner of the world I go...they always go, ‘Bond’. It is beyond me at this juncture.” Insiders say Eon Productions will welcome a “fresh-faced” star given that Daniel Craig filmed No Time To Die at 51. Bringing in an actor in their late 30s would give time for at least a decade in the role and potentially three movies. The source claimed the next Bond outing might start filming as early as winter 2023.
Daniel Craig’s successor will likely be unveiled in autumn next year. Suggestions that Eon want the new man to then be under 40 effectively rules out fan favourites Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston, Cillian Murphy, Sam Heughan, Dan Stevens and Chiwetel Ejiofor
While 37-year-olds James Norton, Tom Hopper and Theo James might be on the cusp.
Other names mentioned include Nicholas Hoult, 33, Rege Jean Page, 34, plus Richard Madden and Sam Claflin, both 36.