Looks like we might see Idris Elba take on the famous role of James Bond after all! The film producer Barbara Broccoli recently spoke out about her thoughts on the new 007 agent in an interview with Total Film. In the interview, she gave details about the search for the next Bond, amid many unconfirmed reports about who would be chosen to play the titular role after the release of No Time to Die in 2021.
“I always say: you can only be in love with one person at a time. Once the film’s come out, then some time will pass, and then we’ll have to get on to the business of the future. But for now, we just cannot think about anything beyond Daniel Craig],” she said. “It will have to be reimagined, in the way each actor has reimagined the role. That’s what is so exciting and fun about this franchise: the character evolves. Eventually, when we have to think about it, we’ll find the right person…”
As for who the “right person” might be, the team is not restricting itself to the traditional actors of the franchise’s past. “He doesn’t need to be a white man. Not as far as I’m concerned,” Broccoli added. She also hasn’t changed her stance on casting a woman as Bond, despite speculation that Lashana Lynch will inherit the role in No Time To Die. “We should create roles for women, not just turn a man into a woman,” she stated
Reports of Elba as the next 007 agent first emerged in 2014. In 2018, Broccoli told The Daily Star that, “It is about time a black actor is the next James Bond.”
Director Antoine Fuqua's comment has once again revived talks that Elba would be the perfect actor to step in. “Idris could do it if he was in shape,” he said. “You need a guy with a physically strong presence. Idris has that.”
“It’s no secret that MGM has been toying with the notion of getting Elba on board,” multiple sources told the Daily News earlier. But Craig returned to shoot the next Bond film, which is due in theatres in Autumn next year. Meanwhile, Elba had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts with filming the TV series Luther.
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