Just a few years ago the very idea of James Bond aka Agent 007 being portrayed by a black man was apocryphal at best toward the brain trust of the Bond legacy. Sean Connery even went into detail as to why he felt Bond couldn’t be played by a black person, and oh what a disappointing diatribe it was. However, he would later backtrack by angrily insisting he was misquoted:
I didnt like it when I was misquoted as saying that Idris Elba would not be right to play Bond, implying that I was racist.
I am sure he is a splendid actor – in fact I know he is – but he doesnt typify what Ian Fleming had in his mind.
I think even Sean Connery was a disappointment, being a Scot.
But Pierce Brosnan, who played by from 1994 to 2003, is a proponent of Idris Elba playing Bond.
James Bond Star Roger Moore Passes Away
The English actor was 89
But, as the Steve Miller Band lyric goes, “time keeps on slippin’ into the futuuuure“. As Daniel Craig’s eventual retirement draws near the list of possible candidates to replace him grows broader.
Back in 2014, when emails released during the historic Sony hack revealed that then-studio co-chair Amy Pascal told a colleague, “Idris should be the next Bond”, and the firestorm was set. The following year Bond author Ian Fleming called Elba “too street” and “not suave enough” to play Bond. I don’t know his definition of suave, but apparently
To his credit, Elba has said he doesn’t want the role, and that he believes Bond could be a woman. However, now comes news from the Esquire that Bond producers are leaning toward the idea of Idris Elba as Bond.
According to Director Antoine Fuqua, a conversation with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, in which she said “it is time” for a non-white actor to take on the iconic role. Fuqua discussed who might be next in the running with Broccoli, who’s certain the progressive move “will happen eventually”, with Idris Elba a reported frontrunner for the role.
So, that’s one domino, albeit a powerful domino, in a row of dominos that need to fall for this to happen. However, it’s a pretty cool start.
Now we await Elba’s response.
