Idris Elba says ‘no’ to starring in James Bond

In truly heartbreaking news, Idris Elba has denied he’ll be the next James Bond after weeks of mounting speculation. The Luther actor has been hotly tipped to replace Daniel Craig as 007 after the next installment of the British spy franchise. However, Idris appears to have definitely shut down hopes and rumours for good. Idris, 45, was stopped for a red carpet interview with Good Morning Britain on Monday night at the premiere of his new movie Yardie. In an attempt to squeeze an answer out of the actor, the GMB reporter asked the protocol Bond question – ‘Do you like it shaken or stirred?’
 
Putting his own spin on Bond’s choice of Martini, Idris replied: ‘Stir fried, actually.’ However, when the reporter asked if he was ‘looking at the next 007’, Idris replied: ‘No.’ Way to let us down gently, ‘Dris.
Although he was quick to deny reports, Idris has certainly had fun teasing the speculation in recent weeks. The British actor played a DJ set at London’s Elrow on Sunday and teased the audience by playing the iconic Bond theme song to start. Cheeky. Previously, Idris had sent his Twitter followers into a frenzy when he tweeted a photo of himself with the caption: ‘My name’s Elba, Idris Elba.’ However, he later backtracked and told fans: ‘Don’t believe the HYPE.’
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Idris suggested that people are only tipping him for the Bond role because he’s black. He explained: ‘I think it’s more about, ‘We just want to have a black guy play James Bond’, rather than, “Idris Elba, the actor, play James Bond”. That’s the part I’m like, ‘Ugh, come on’. It could be a woman — could be a black woman, could be a white woman — do something different with it, you know?’
metro.co.uk