Is Idris Elba Hinting (Pretty Strongly) He’s the Next James Bond?
It’s already been three years since the last James Bond movie, Spectre, hit theaters. Now, the 25th James Bond film has been confirmed to arrive in 2019, but it appears the producers behind the movies are already looking beyond it — to the future of the franchise.
A few days ago, it was reported that Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli had told The Equalizer 2 director Antoine Fuqua that internal talks were currently being had about casting the first black actor to play James Bond. The article by The Independent went on to confirm that, after years of fan casting, Thor: Ragnarok and Luther actor Idris Elba was actually the top contender for the role if the producers decide to go that route.
Now, the actor himself may have thrown his hat into the ring. Earlier today, the actor posted a new photo of himself on Twitter with a simple, but potentially quite telling, caption that read: “my name’s Elba. Idris Elba.” Of course, the turn of phrase makes it clear that Elba is referencing the iconic “Bond, James Bond” line that has become synonymous with the character.
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my name’s Elba, Idris Elba. pic.twitter.com/kEyyaVg8JX
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) August 12, 2018
Following the mysterious tweet, some fans have already begun speculating about what this all could mean. Is Elba simply having a bit of fun after The Independent’s report has made the rounds, or could he be hinting at the fact that there is a lot more to these rumors and internal talks than we believe. If anything, the actor is showing that he has definite interest in the character, and he appears to be adding a bit of fuel to this fire — all in the name of good fun.
Daniel Craig has played James Bond since 2006’s Casino Royale. At the time, he was a departure from the usual 007 casting, and a reflection of the current, harsher and more brutal times we were living in. Following a strong social call for change, diversity and more representation, the time seems just right to bid farewell to Craig and welcome a new actor in the role.
Hopefully, Elba knows something we don’t.
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James Bond 25 , the next entry in the franchise, is set to star Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as the super spy. The film is directed by Danny Boyle, with a script by John Hodge based on an idea by Boyle. It is set to begin shooting on Dec. 3, and opens Oct. 25, 2019 in the United Kingdom and Nov. 8, 2019, in the United States.
