Tom Hanks Throws His Support Behind Idris Elba as Next James Bond

It's been nearly two years since Daniel Craig's final James Bond performance in No Time to Die hit theaters, and fans still don't know what direction the franchise is headed. There's been a ton of speculation about who should be the next James Bond, and now a Hollywood icon has weighed in.

In a new interview with BBC, Tom Hanks said he would like to see English actor Idris Elba in the role.

"Understand this," Hanks told the UK news outlet. "James Bond has a license to kill. I would issue that license to Idris Elba just based on the work that I've seen him do."

Elba has been connected to the Bond franchise for nearly a decade now, after his name appeared in a leaked Sony email from 2014. However, he's repeatedly denied speculation that he was in talks to be cast as the iconic secret agent.

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

In a separate interview with People that same month, he further denied any connection to the role. "I can't speak for [the producers], but from my perspective, there's never been any sort of truth to any of it," he said. "It's a compliment, and it's an honor but it's not the truth."

Still, Bond Producer Barbara Broccoli has said that Elba was "part of the conversation" with regards to the famous role in the past. Until we know more, it never hurts to have Tom Hanks in your corner.