The British actor seemingly weighs in on the casting rumors in a new Twitter post.
- August 14, 2018
AceShowbiz - Idris Elba has shared several cryptic messages amid rumours he is the front runner to play James Bond.
In recent years, speculation has swirled that the British actor is in the running to take over from Daniel Craig as the spy in the hit movie series, following the release of Bond 25 in late 2019.
However, Elba has had some fun with the latest round of rumours and on Sunday, August 12, he uploaded a filtered selfie to Twitter with the caption, "My name's Elba, Idris Elba" - a reference to 007's signature "Bond, James Bond" line.
He also posted a photo of hip-hop group Public Enemy and another tweet referring to their 1988 song.
"Don't believe the HYPE," the Luther star wrote, a statement which many of his followers interpreted to mean that he would not be playing Bond.
my name’s Elba, Idris Elba. pic.twitter.com/kEyyaVg8JX
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) 12 August 2018
Don’t believe the HYPE...
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) 12 August 2018
Though Elba has repeatedly brushed aside talk that he could be the next Bond, rumours were renewed last Thursday after U.K. newspaper The Daily Star published a report stating that director Antoine Fuqua had spoken to James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli about the future of the spy franchise and that she had claimed that "it is time" for a black actor to take on the part.
But a representative for Fuqua has since rejected the report and told editors at The Hollywood Reporter that the content of the story was "all made up stuff" and that The Equalizer filmmaker had "never had a conversation" with Broccoli.
Elba's representative has declined to comment too. At present, the 45-year-old is in the pre-production stages of TV series Turn Up Charlie and Fast and Furious movie spin-off Hobbs and Shaw, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.
Craig has played Bond since succeeding Pierce Brosnan for 2006 reboot Casino Royale. Other names linked to play super sleuth in the future include Tom Hardy, Aiden Turner, Henry Cavill, James Norton and Nicholas Hoult.
