Idris Elba has revealed that he will not be named as the next James Bond after Daniel Craig’s final Bond movie, No Time To Die.
He revealed this rather sad bit of news during the premiere of his upcoming Netflix film, The Harder They Fall (via The Express Online).
The star and James Bond favourite was asked if he would play the British Secret Agent in the next film, and he ended up ruling himself out of the running.
Here’s what he had to say about whether he’s going to be the next James Bond or not:
No, I’m not going to be James Bond.
That is a pretty firm denial and it’s such a shame to hear him say this because he would make an excellent Bond.
However, this hasn’t stopped people from placing bets on Elba being named as the next 007.
Currently, Elba has impressive odds of 8/1 with Ladbrokes on taking the role – slashed from 10/1 last week.
The firm’s Jessica O’Reilly had this to say on the betting odds for Idris Elba to be the next James Bond:
Since the No Time To Die premiere bets have been coming in thick and fast for Idris Elba, and should the support continue we’ll be forced to slash his odds once again.
Idris Elba doesn’t think he’ll be the next James Bond
Read more: Fans Desperate For Idris Elba To Be The Next James Bond
However, there are a whole load of other names on the list of actors who could potentially play James Bond next.
It does seem as though Tom Hardy and Regé-Jean Page are the front runners for the role at the moment.
So far, James Bond has always been portrayed by a white male actor, however, that could change in the future.
Bond producer, Barabara Broccoli recently discussed choosing the next Bond actor.
She revealed that Bond “can be of any colour, but he is male.”
She then went on to add:
I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.
What do you make of this news?
Are you sad to hear Idris Elba rule himself out of the running to be the next James Bond?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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No-one would see him as James Bond. Everyone would see him as Idris Elba in another movie.
He’s too famous, and too old for the role now anyway.