Idris Elba has been said to be the replacement for Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond, the iconic superspy made prominent by British novelist Sir Ian Fleming’s masterworks on the page and over a half-dozen white actors in cinema, for numerous years. Craig’s last turn as 007. was reportedly 2021’s No Time To Die, after nearly 20 years as the franchise’s star.
Elba may be getting an inch closer to taking over the job.
Longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli gushed over Elba, the former Luther star, in an interview on a Deadline podcast on Wednesday, according to IndieWire. “We know Idris, I’m friends with him,” she said. “He’s a magnificent actor.”
Despite the fact that Broccoli and the other producers of the series are cognizant of fans’ anticipation and speculations about who would portray Bond next, she personally wanted to wait until Craig’s term is officially over before considering casting options.
“You know, [Elba has] been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have a conversation when you have somebody in the seat,” Broccoli said.
“I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has had its run, and Daniel has been able to — well, we’ve all been able to savor, reap the benefits of Daniel’s wonderful tenure, we’re not going to think about, or talk about, anybody else, actors to play the role, or storylines, or anything really,” she said. “We just want to live in the moment.”
Dr. No, who is portrayed by Sean Connery, introduced Bond in 1962, and he kept the role for the next thirty years, first in the 1960s, then in the 1970s and 1980s. Casino Royale starred David Niven, who was apparently Fleming’s first choice, while On Her Majesty’s Secret Service had Australian actor George Lazenby two years after.
Second only to Sean Connery’s renowned Bond performance is Roger Moore’s seven-film run as Bond. Timothy Dalton played the part twice, and Pierce Brosnan had four films before Craig in the 1990s. Craig took over as Bond in 2006 and has appeared in five flicks as the spy.
IndieWire continued doing that before Craig finally took over the role, the franchise was “becoming increasingly goofy and obsolete. If the James Bond producers want to keep his momentum going, they need to nail the next casting.”
In an October 2021 interview with Esquire, Elba opined, “I say this in jest, but this is my answer to Bond. [Luther] is my big character that lives in the same space as the Bournes, as the Bonds in the world. Not in terms of spy works or spying, but this is a character that fights evil and then will stop at nothing to do it. And we created him from scratch.”
“Me and [showrunner] Neil Cross really plowed our hearts into making John Luther,” Elba continued. “And I’ve never been more thankful for a character that keeps going. I love him. And it’s a hard character to play. It’s very absorbing, but I’ve liked bringing him to life every time. I’ve loved it.”
In answer to a question concerning some of the racist language surrounding his role as James Bond, Elba stated, “If you get to a level like mine, I can’t sit here and worry about some di**head who’s got a pseudonym writing, ‘Idris is Black, he shouldn’t play. . . I don’t care; I shouldn’t care about that. Plus, I’ve got a thick skin, man. I’m old and ugly enough to know that they love you, then they hate you, then they love you again.”
