Sir Idris Elba has ruled himself out of playing James Bond, as he responds to the decades-long rumours that have surrounded him and the coveted 007 role
Sir Idris Elba has revealed that he was ‘never’ really in the running to play James Bond, as he officially rules him out of the race.
The 53-year-old Hijack star has been long surrounded with rumours that he is set to play the next, and first-ever Black 007. The rumours reportedly first began in 2008 when former President Barack Obama said that the world was ready for a black actor at the Italian premiere of Quantum of Solace.
However, Idris has stated he was never really in the running: “It was never legit. It was always just a rumour.”
In an interview with GQ he continued: “I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing. James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it. And also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”
He also added that he didn’t want anyone to try and make the film franchise ‘woke’: “Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke. I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”
This comes just a month after Idris claimed that he was ‘never truly’ in the running to become Bond. When asked by how he felt about his name being “thrown out” as a potential star of the upcoming 007 reboot, Idris replied: “My name’s not getting thrown out, no way.
“They’re going younger. And I wish them all the luck in the world. I can’t wait – it’s going to be amazing,” he told People.
The Luther star went on to say he was “not in the race ever. I wasn’t in the race in the first place”, despite strong speculation he would be the first Black actor to play the role.
In 2023, the actor admitted he was “super complimented”, but was put off the role because of the conversations around race that ensued.
He said at the time: “We’re all actors and we understand that that role is one of those sort of coveted types. It’s like being names Sexiest Man Alive.
“But being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Okay, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle. Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world – except for some corners, which we will not talk about – were really happy about the idea that I could be considered.”
He added that it was ‘disgusting’ seeing the reaction from people who didn’t want him to play Bond due to his skin colour: “Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it.”
Daniel Craig left the franchise five years ago after his fifth film in the spy fanchise, No Time To Die. Since then, there has been rampant speculation about who will be next to play Bond, with frontrunners in the race including; Callum Turner, Jack Lowden, Jacob Elordi, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Amazon MGM Studios, who are producing the new Bond film, said in a statement: “The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
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