Let's be real. Idris Elba was never going to play James Bond.
BMD's own British man of mystery Jof Gurd pretty much laid the rumors to rest last week when people were getting all hot and bothered over a Daily Star report of Antoine Fuqua meeting with EON Productions (which produced the revelation that producer Barbara Broccoli feels "it is time" for an ethnic minority to play 007):
"From this we get directly to 'Bond producers want Idris for Bond!', which feels like a 2+2=5 leap ignoring that train of 'eventually, could, if'. Now, while we haven’t heard his name in the context of the Bond gig it would be surprising if Fuqua hadn’t met with Broccoli purely from a standpoint of EON Productions doing due diligence on potential future directors, and it would be astonishing if EON wasn’t thinking about casting an actor of colour, given the public conversation around the subject. At the same time, it’s worth noting three things: Fuqua made these comments at the launch of an immersive 3D sound app for cinemagoers, and Equalizer 2 is released in the UK next week, while Idris Elba’s unfavourably-reviewed directorial debut, Yardie, follows at the end of the month. One might say that’s a useful confluence of promotion."
Get that ass, Jof.
Then, over the weekend, Elba put the rumors to bed himself via three tweets that essentially told the whole world to calm the hell down:
my name’s Elba, Idris Elba. pic.twitter.com/kEyyaVg8JX
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) August 12, 2018
While this first one essentially reads as a sort of Rorschach test - could it be confirmation of rumors...or denial? - depending on how devoted a reader is to the whisperings becoming fact, the actor left no doubt with the next two:
.... pic.twitter.com/y9AEcMcsWh
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) August 12, 2018
Hell yes, and then...
Don’t believe the HYPE...
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) August 12, 2018
Look, I'm not gonna tell you that Elba may be the coolest motherfucker on the planet (because you already knew that), but who else dispells gossip with FUCKING PUBLIC ENEMY QUOTES? Now I'm gonna spend all day wondering what a PE Bond theme would sound like (the answer: AMAZING).
So, we're back to square one in terms of speculation regarding who'll be slipping on the tux after Daniel Craig departs (the role, not the planet). If you recall, Elba even suggested that a woman should be playing Bond next back in January*. Who do you think should take over the 007 mantle now that Elba's out of the running? Sound off in the comments below.
*Which is a great idea, but I'd also settle for an Ilsa Faust Mission: Impossible spin-off instead.