What a rollercoaster of a week it has been for Idris Elba and James Bond fans.
Rumors of Elba cast as the suave superspy have been circulating for years, but were kicked into high gear after a UK based tabloid The Daily Star reported that Antoine Fuqua has spoken to Bond producer Barbara Broccoli saying it’s time for an ethnic minority actor to play the lead and name-dropped Elba.
If that wasn’t enough, on Sunday, Elba continued to taunt fans, hinting that he might actually succeed Daniel Craig in the 007 franchise. The 45-year-old British actor took to Twitter, first posting a cryptic selfie captioned with, “my name’s Elba, Idris Elba,” an unmistakable reference to the iconic Bond line.
my name’s Elba, Idris Elba. pic.twitter.com/kEyyaVg8JX
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) August 12, 2018
This kick-started the rumor mill into even high gear, but much to fans’ disappointment, he later tweeted, “Don’t believe the HYPE” next to an image of the rap group Public Enemy.
According to E! News Elba said in 2014 that if the role were offered to him, he would gladly accept. If this is to happen, it would mean that Elba would be the first ever black actor to step into the suave spy shoes. However, he did address the fact the Bond is a white Scott telling NPR in 2011, “I just don’t want to be called the first black James Bond. Do you understand what I’m saying? Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”
