Idris Elba Says James Bond Casting Rumors 'Are Just That': 'Never Been Any Sort of Truth'

Pietro S. D'Aprano/Getty Idris Elba

Idris Elba is putting the 007 rumors to rest once and for all.

The Golden Globe winner, 50, admitted he was "nowhere" near being cast as James Bond following Daniel Craig's exit from the franchise as he recently spoke to The Guardian about the speculation that he will take on the coveted role.

"I love the Bond franchise, I'm very close to the producers," said Elba. "We were all kind of laughing about the rumors because they are just that."

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He continued: "I can't speak for [the producers], but from my perspective, there's never been any sort of truth to any of it. It's a compliment, and it's an honor — but it's not a truth."

Elba's name entered the mix long before Craig's final bow as 007 in 2021's No Time to Die, when Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal revealed in a leaked 2014 email that she felt "Idris should be the next Bond."

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Barbara Broccoli, one of the franchise's lead producers, said last year that Elba has "been part of the conversation" as she appeared on Deadline's Crew Call podcast.

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"Well, we know Idris, I'm friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor," she said in January 2022. "You know, it's been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat."

"I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has kind of had its run and Daniel has been able to, well, we've all been able to, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about or talk about anybody else, actors to play the role or storylines or anything. We just wanna live in the moment, the present," added Broccoli.

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Broccoli has since said that "nobody's in the running" for the starring role, adding last June: "There isn't a script and we can't come up with one until we decide how we're going to approach the next film because, really, it's a reinvention of Bond. We're reinventing who he is and that takes time."