Idris Elba, 42, is on the top of the list of actors being considered to be the next James Bond, according to a hacked Sony email. If the talented star of movies such as Thor: The Dark World and Luther is chosen to be Daniel Craig’s successor as 007, he will be the first black actor to take on the iconic role.
Daniel Craig has expressed his desire to get out of playing James Bond, and in an interview with Rolling Stone, he declared that he had never really been thrilled about playing the secret agent with a license to kill. According to Craig, he said “I’ve been trying to get out of this from the very moment I got into it.”
Daniel Craig is still under a contract, however, and has one more Bond movie to make to fulfill it. But, he wants out of the contract, and he might get that chance, following the release of the upcoming James Bond film, Spectre. The production cost of the movie has been estimated to be at roughly $300 million, with Christoph Walz (Django Unchained, Big Eyes)set to be the main villain. The movie is set to be released in the fall of 2015.
According to another hacked Sony email, Daniel Craig may be freed from his contract. In the email, according to Fox News, Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal wrote to to former Columbia Pictures executive vice president Elizabeth Cantillon that “Idris Elba should be the next James Bond.” Columbia Pictures distributes the James Bond movies.
While Pascal’s wish expressed through her hacked email might not ever come true, it is an indication that Idris Elba is being seriously considered to take over the mantle of James Bond once Daniel Craig decides to ever quit or his contract is eventually fulfilled.
The decision by Sony to not release The Interview, as well as the recent hacking of the Spectre script and the company’s email system that took place, has led to a precipitous drop in the company’s stock. If Sony announces Idris Elba will be the next James Bond, it could be just the news to help the value of Sony stock to level off, if not to rise.
As for Idris Elba, he is on record as saying that if the role of James Bond was offered, he would definitely be interested in taking it over and making it his own. It could be that someone from Sony will be in touch with Elba in the near future to be the next James Bond, though he might not be contacted via…email with the offer.
Daniel Craig reportedly wants out of the role so badly that, according to Star Magazine‘s December 29, issue, he and director of the Bond franchise, Sam Mendes, might approach the Sony execs and tell them to get someone to play Bond who actually wants to take over the acting job. Idris Elba has the acting chops and the talent to take over the role; but so far, if he has been actually offered the part, he has kept the news to himself.
A reporter who wrote an article for The Daily Beast stated that Craig “was supposed to make two more films after Skyfall,” but Spectre just might be the last Bond flick that Daniel Craig stars in, if he is able to wiggle out of his contract. Would Idris Elba make a great James Bond if offered the role? Please leave any comments below!
