Idris Elba has denied reports he is entering the final straight in the race to become the next James Bond.
Elba, 42, is currently one of the bookies’ favourites to replace Daniel Craig as 007 when the latter’s run ends in two movies’ time. But the Hackney-born star, best known for television roles in The Wire and Luther and his portrayal of Nelson Mandela, said tabloid reports suggesting he is the frontrunner to take on the role were wide of the mark.
“It’s just a rumour,” Elba told the Radio Times, adding: “I have no idea.”
Elba reignited speculation in September last year when he told a fan on Reddit he would “absolutely” take the role of Bond if it were offered. After a large cache of hacked Sony Pictures emails later suggested the studio was eyeing him as the next 007, he tweeted a picture of himself with the caption “Isn’t 007 supposed to [be] handsome? Glad you think I’ve got a shot!”
Isn't 007 supposed to handsome? Glad you think I've got a shot! Happy New year people. pic.twitter.com/3g9lAl2Uo3
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) December 27, 2014
However, since then, and despite endorsement from former Bond Pierce Brosnan, Elba has tended to downplay his chances. “If there was ever any chance of me getting Bond, it’s gone,” he told an audience at London’s British Film Institute in April, claiming that the longstanding rumour that he would play the screen spy was “really starting to eat itself”.
Homeland’s Damien Lewis, 44, is the current frontrunner with bookmaker William Hill to replace Craig, at 6/4. Elba is just behind on 5/2. However, odds on Tom Hardy, at 37 the right age to play a new Bond, have shortened significantly to 4/1 in the wake of global box office success for critically acclaimed sci-fi reboot Mad Max: Fury Road.
Craig will next star as Bond in November’s Spectre, which once again sees Oscar-winner Sam Mendes in charge of the cameras. It is widely expected that the 47-year-old star will step down after the film’s follow-up, which would likely see him as a 50-something Bond.
