Idris Elba and James Bond have been synonymous with each other for over a decade with fans wanting him to be Daniel Craig’s successor. With moviegoers have been hyping him up, the Bond question has always come up whenever Elba is interviewed. But it appeared the actor is tired of the constant questions. After years of questioning, the Beast star got honest about constantly being asked about playing the beloved international spy.
The Suicide Squad actor aired out his frustrations over the constant Bond questions while being interviewed on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast. Idris Elba sidestepped the 007 factor by boosting up his upcoming Luther movie. Noticing his avoidance of the subject, the actor was asked if he was tired of hearing those questions. This prompted Idris Elba to mention he had no more answers after years of speculation about him being next in line to play the international spy. In his words:
I have no more answers for it. I just tell people ‘aw, don’t ask me that.’ Because a lot of times it’s really lazy journalism. And people try to use it as clickbait like ‘what’s he gonna say this time?’ I try to say the same things. Every now and then I just tease them, but every now and then I’ll give them some philosophy on why I don’t want to do it or why it’s a rumor. But most times now I tend not to talk about it.
His words shouldn’t be too surprising as he finally gave up on his 007 hopes by announcing the feature adaptation of the BBC drama. Despite being done with the questions, at least, Idris Elba would entertain the rumors playfully or sidestep them entirely. But now he seems over the entire affair, including those rumored talks. So Elba seemingly doesn’t want to hear about James Bond anymore.
The Beast star may not want the 007 mantle anymore as he is planning a franchise around his most beloved characters. The movie based on the gruff detective John Luther is already in the can, according to Idris Elba. Elba felt Luther’s big screen outing will be a great entry point into a film series as he teased the character expanding into international waters in the future. He even referred to the potential franchise as his “Bond.”
Giving up on a 007 future may be in Elba’s best interest as new James Bond rumors may have him along with Henry Cavill and Tom Hardy out of the running for the role. It was reported Eon Productions is looking for someone in their 30s to play a younger 007. So, names like Regé-Jean Page and Aidan Turner appear to have better odds now if the rumors are true. The speculation marked a change as Bond producers hinted earlier this year, that they were still in conversations with Elba about the spy franchise. Others were looking forward to the Thor actor as 007 with King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green seemed interested in directing an installment with the 49-year-old actor. But it seemed the Bond door may have closed on Elba at this point.
With James Bond seemingly out of the question, it appeared the MCU star has moved on with multiple projects either arriving or in the works. He will appear in Three Thousand Years of Longing with Tilda Swinton, which hits theaters on August 31. He teased a big project with DC Films with another comic book adaptation from Netflix in development. In the meantime, audiences can watch Idris Elba in Beast, which is currently in movie theaters.