There are six men considered frontrunners to play James Bond after Daniel Craig retires from the role, which he's expected to do after the next installment slated for 2020. One of those men is Idris Elba. And he's had a lot of fun over the years teasing the idea, tweeting "My name's Elba, Idris Elba," sharing a selfie with Daniel Craig, and, over the weekend, joking about the role during his appearance on Saturday Night Live.
On Monday, however, a Hollywood Reporter interview with Elba was published, and it seems to pour cold water on the rumors. The British actor told The Hollywood Reporter's Lacey Rose that Bond producers have not formally approached him about the 007 role. He also said the tweet and the selfie were all a joke. "I took the piss a little," he said. "But I was also reminding people that I never got referred to as James Bond. So, I was like, hello, my name is Elba. Idris Elba. It was a joke. I swear to God."
A couple weeks ago, Elba addressed the Bond rumors—which started in 2014 after a Sony executive's memo leaked saying Elba should be the next Bond—in an interview with the Mail on Sunday's entertainment insert, Event.
"Bond is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and for that reason, whoever ends up playing it, lives it," he said. "You’re THAT character, and known as that character for many, many years. I’m creating characters now that can still live alongside Idris. Not ones that take over me and solely define me."
