Many names have been floated to take over as the new James Bond, but the one that comes up the most is undoubtedly Idris Elba’s.
The Luther actor has long been a fan favourite to play the suave spy but, as it turns out, he’s “not that guy”.
Speaking during LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The Shop: Uninterrupted series, Elba opened up about whether 007 is a role he would like to play.
“It is not a goal for my career,” he said. “I don’t think that, you know, playing Bond will satisfy some of my personal goals.”
However, he did acknowledge it would “definitely satisfy the will of a nation”.
He added: “I feel it is beyond me at this junction. It’s beyond me. You know, it’s not a question of, ‘Should I?,’ ‘Do I?,’ ‘Will I?,’ it is what the will of the nation dictates sometimes.
“I’m not that guy, but in everyone’s world I might be. And that – job done. Because the truth is, you know, a lot of people are really seeing Idris playing Bond as the ‘alternative Bond’. And as long as that alternative is existing, that’s great for the growth of f**king casting.”
You can watch Idris Elba discuss the James Bond role from 20:30 below:
The episode also features Drew Barrymore, NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League Paul Rabil and marketing executive Paul Rivera.
Read more:
- James Bond’s next “reinvention” needs to bring the fun back to 007 movies
- Idris Elba reacts to Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in unearthed video
- James Bond bosses sign deal to take franchise ‘beyond 75th birthday’
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