Even after the sudden departure of Danny Boyle from Bond 25, it seems Idris Elba (Avengers: Infinity War, Luther) is still no closer to playing 007.
The British actor was in town to promote Yardie, his gritty directorial debut about how a man’s quest for retribution leads to a nasty run-in with a dangerous London gangster. It’s been something of a passion project for Elba, though it seems the creative powerhouse has no intention of playing James Bond anytime soon.
Asked straight-up about the chances of him succeeding Daniel Craig to become the eighth Bond, Idris Elba simply stated “no,” and even ignored the martini – shaken, not stirred – that had just been poured for him in honor of 007. We’ve set the video to begin at 0:55, right around the time Good Morning Britain presents the latest Bond rumors to an ice-cool Elba.
And surely that’s the end of that? Truth be told, Idris Elba’s name has been linked with James Bond for years at this point, and it’s only now that Danny Boyle and Bond 25 have gone their separate ways that a fresh flurry of rumors has begun spreading around the Internet.
But at least according to the man himself, they’re simply not true, which tells us that MGM and the franchise’s producers – namely Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli – are fully focused on making Bond 25 the best it can possibly be.
The first port of call will be to find a new director now that Boyle’s out of the equation, and while it’ll seemingly mark Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, Idris Elba is pretty convinced that he won’t be a part of the conversation when the time comes to find the next James Bond.
