Idris Elba dashed fans’ hopes by saying he was never in the race to play James Bond in the next 007 movie: “They’re going younger.”
‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film
Amazon MGM Studios has announced that Denis Villeneuve will direct the next ‘James Bond’ film. He’ll also serve as executive producer.
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Turns out Idris Elba never really was a contender to be our James Bond, no matter how much fans wanted it.The suave British star, 53, told People he “honestly” wasn’t ever in the conversation to portray 007 after Amazon MGM Studios recently revealed the search was on to cast a new actor as the superspy.“My name’s not getting thrown out, no way. They’re going younger,” Elba said at the premiere of his new movie “Masters of the Universe” on May 18, in which he plays Man-at-Arms/Duncan. “And I wish them all the luck of the world. I can’t wait − it’s going to be amazing.”
“I’m honestly not in the race ever,” he added. “I wasn’t in the race in the first place.”Idris has been touted for years as a possible successor to Daniel Craig, as have Henry Cavill, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy and Henry Golding. The storied role, based on the books by Ian Fleming, has been previously played by Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, David Niven and George Lazenby, in addition to Craig.
“The search for the next James Bond is underway,” Amazon MGM announced in a statement on May 14, after years of speculation. “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”The first new Bond movie since 2021’s “No Time to Die” will be directed by “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve.
Contributing: Anika Reed, USA TODAY