James Bond Producer Barbara Broccoli Reveals They Are In Talks With Idris Elba As The Next 007 Spy

Daniel Craig's era as the seventh James Bond came to an end with the release of the film No Time To Die. Ever since then, fans of the spy film franchise have been speculating who the next 007 will be. With the role up for grabs, many names including Tom Hardy, Regé-Jean Page, Idris Elba, Henry Cavill, and Lashana Lynch were brought up as the next potential James Bond. 

Elba had responded to this speculation by taking himself out of the race. "No, I'm not going to be James Bond," he had stated. It's not that he didn't want to, because when he was asked if he would at least like to take the role, he responded: "Who wouldn't?" and added, "How amazing would it be to have a Black James Bond? It's a sign of the times when we can stop talking about black, white, and color." Well, this wishful thinking may just become a reality.

Producer Barbara Broccoli revealed to DEADLINE's Crew Call podcast that there have been talks with Elba about the possibility of him coming on board. "Well, we know Idris, we're friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor," Broccoli said. "And, 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. So, you know, I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has had its run and Daniel has been able to - well, we've all been able to savor, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about, or talk about anybody else." Whether Elba gets the license to kill still remains to be seen.

Previously, Broccoli had quickly dismissed the possibility of the next James Bond being a woman. She had explained, “I think it will be a man because I don’t think a woman should play James Bond. I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles. I don’t think there are enough great roles for women, and it’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women." She said that the next Bond would definitely be a British man, "He can be of any color, but he is male."

"People always ask, ‘Oh, who’s the next James Bond?’ It’s like asking a bride as she’s going up to the altar who’s her next husband going to be," she had responded along the same lines at the time. "I don’t really want to think about who is going to be the next person until I absolutely have to." This won't stop fans from speculating who will take on the role next. Henry Cavill and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson have also expressed their desire to become the next Bond. While Cavill is prepared to join the franchise even in the capacity of a Bond villain, Johnson said, "I don't want to be a villain. You gotta be Bond."