Not for the first time, British thesp Idris Elba has gone on record to debunk any rumors linking him with the James Bond franchise.
Speculation was rife that The Dark Tower actor would assume the 00 license from Daniel Craig in the not-so-distant future, particularly after the latter appeared to display some hesitancy about returning for the untitled Bond 25. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, though, MGM’s radio silence coupled with Craig’s wry British humor (“I’d rather slit my wrists”) produced something of a storm in a tea cup; after all, the series stalwart has agreed to reprise as Ian Fleming’s gun-toting sleuth one final time.
What’s more, the Powers That Be have already gone ahead and reserved a November 2019 release date for Bond 25, leading to all kinds of rumors about what the next chapter could entail. Last we reported, Yann Demange, Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049), and David MacKenzie were linked with the nascent project, but at least so far, that director’s chair is yet to be filled.
But for all of the progress made by Bond 25 in the past few months, BuzzFeed once again quizzed Elba about the chances of him being selected as Craig’s successor. And spoilers, it’s not looking good.
As one of the many stars due to appear in Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, Idris Elba will likely be busy doing press for the next few weeks and here, the British actor told BuzzFeed straight-up that the chances of him headlining a James Bond pic are slim to none.
I think not…But you really need to ask the producers. Like I can just, [mimes picking up a telephone] ‘Hey, I’m gonna play Bond next! No, it’s Idris. Hello?’ No one wants it.
Frankly, we’ve lost count of how many times Idris Elba has played down talk of the Bond gig, and this latest status update only drives the point home. Nevertheless, the 25th instalment in MGM’s legendary James Bond franchise remains on course to hit U.S. theaters on November 8th, 2019, while Ragnarok has been slated for November 3rd of this year.
