Idris Elba reportedly being considered for next James Bond

totheendofsin

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https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a22685301/james-bond-producers-idris-elba/

So reportedly James Bond producers are leaning towards Idris Elba to play James Bond once Daniel Craig leaves the role. Personally I think it's a wonderful idea and ever since I heard the idea a few years ago I felt it would be disappointing if they didn't go with Idris.

So what do you guys think of this news? is Idris Elba a good choice for Bond? Is there another actor you would rather see in the role?
 

TheMysteriousGX

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It'd get me in the theater for at least one Bond movie, so there's that.

About the only other person I'd want to play Bond would be Mads Mikkelson, but he already played the bad guy in Casino Royale.
 

Hawki

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This isn't new news - Idris Elba has had his name pitched around for awhile now.

That said, I don't think Elba's a good choice. Nothing against his acting, but Elba has a kind of 'heaviness' to his performances that I don't think suits Bond's character. He's not the guy who plays the gentlemen, he's the guy who plays the 'heavy.' The 'working class joe.' Bond's basically an idealized version of an English upper class man - Oxford educated, bowtie wearing, charming and suave, etc. I saw Elba in Bastille Day for instance, and again, great at being the 'heavy,' but I can't imagine him playing a character that usually goes for a bit more subtlety. Also, Elba's getting on in his years. Craig, for instance, started playing Bond in 2006 at the age of 38. He's now 50. Roger Moore's last Bond outing was at the age of 58. Idris Elba is already 45.

Now, who would I want for Bond? That's hard to say. The question is whether the series would be rebooted again or not. In theory, everything from Dr. No to Die Another Day shares its own continuity (though you could argue otherwise), and Casino Royale is explicitly a new continuity, one that has Bond develop over time. So, with a new Bond, do the writers want to continue the same character, or reboot again? If the former, I'd like the actor to be someone channeling Craig (which would be very hard for Elba to do for obvious reasons). If the latter, then the sky's the limit, since they're not beholden to build off what came before. I guess I'm a bit partial to Henry Cavill right now, but that's only because of Fallout - say what you want about its lacklustre story, he certainly pulled off the physical side of a potential Bond well, and from The Tudors, I know he can be charming when he needs to be (and in the case of said show, a womanizer as well). On the other hand, I can't imagine Hardy channeling Craig well either - I'd go more for Tom Hardy there.
 

Saelune

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I want to be mad, but Daniel Craig wasn't a good Bond either, and whatever, if it will also piss off some actual racists too, fine.


Hell, if he -acts- like Bond, which Craig did not, I will rank him higher than Craig.


Fuck Daniel Craig.
 

Samtemdo8_v1legacy

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Saelune said:
I want to be mad, but Daniel Craig wasn't a good Bond either, and whatever, if it will also piss off some actual racists too, fine.


Hell, if he -acts- like Bond, which Craig did not, I will rank him higher than Craig.


Fuck Daniel Craig.
1. Oh man, I said making a Black Superman movie would have the racists come out in droves, but never thought of this. This is gonna be the most controversial casting ever. And really if you wanted to cast Black Actor to be Bond, it should have been Denzel Washington.

2. I've only ever cared for Goldeneye and Pierce Brosnen. I tried but could not enjoy any other Bond movie of any era. To me Goldeneye is enough.
 

Squilookle

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Hawki said:
This isn't new news - Idris Elba has had his name pitched around for awhile now.

That said, I don't think Elba's a good choice. Nothing against his acting, but Elba has a kind of 'heaviness' to his performances that I don't think suits Bond's character. He's not the guy who plays the gentlemen, he's the guy who plays the 'heavy.' The 'working class joe.' Bond's basically an idealized version of an English upper class man - Oxford educated, bowtie wearing, charming and suave, etc. I saw Elba in Bastille Day for instance, and again, great at being the 'heavy,' but I can't imagine him playing a character that usually goes for a bit more subtlety. Also, Elba's getting on in his years. Craig, for instance, started playing Bond in 2006 at the age of 38. He's now 50. Roger Moore's last Bond outing was at the age of 58. Idris Elba is already 45.
Have you seen a Craig Bond film? Everything you said about the 'Heavy' is Craig to a T. For Pete's sake the dude punched through a wall to get a clue in Spectre- could you imagine Roger Moore doing that?

You're right about the age thing though. Pretty sure that's why most have dismissed him. He was a good forerunner before Craig was chosen- not so much now.
 
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He's not really Bond and he's already way too old. Even if he were the next Bond, Craig is in the next movie which is at least a year or two away, and he'd then be 3-4 years after that, so between 4-6 years minimum, by which time he'd be mid-fifties and good for one film. I believe this thread topic keeps appearing so that people can pat themselves (and each other) on the back for being so un-racist because they think a black man can do something a white man can do, while calling anyone who doesn't agree a racist. How very progressive. 🙄

Idris Elba is a great actor and does well as Luthor, but he doesn't fit Bond. The next one 5ish years from now should be ~35ish so that they can get 3-5 films/10-15years out of them. I would suggest Tom Holland if it were 10 years from now but he's way too young atm. One of the GoT lot might work...I'd like to see Kit Harrington with normal hair and no beard in a random contemporary drama to see if he can do any face other than his Jon Snow face. Maybe the guy who played Rob? Maybe Nick Hoult, Tom Hardy, the guy who played Egsy from Kingsman, I'd even think Daniel Radcliffe once he's in his thirties and lost the boyishness...they might be interesting options. Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, they could probably pull it off too. Or they just get an unknown.
 

Hawki

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Squilookle said:
Have you seen a Craig Bond film? Everything you said about the 'Heavy' is Craig to a T. For Pete's sake the dude punched through a wall to get a clue in Spectre- could you imagine Roger Moore doing that?
I've seen every Craig film. And bear in mind, the wall he punched through, IIRC, was wooden and rotting.

And I think either you misread me or I didn't make myself clear - Bond can get physical, sure, but that's balanced out with a kind of 'sauveness' to it. When I think of the roles I've seen Elba play, he doesn't really give the same 'feel' I'd expect from the Bond character. As I said, Bond is 'quintisentially British,' or rather, the idealized version of that - well educated, upper class, good with the ladies. The roles I've seen Elba take have usually been more relaxed, more down to earth, and in action, success coming far more from brute force than stealth on intuition. Elba has a kind of 'physicality' to him that I don't really associate the Bond character with, where physical force is key to success, but not the be all and end all of it. It's why I think Elba is great for roles such as Chief Bogo (Zootopia) or Shere Khan (Jungle Book), or even Sean Briar (Bastille Day - god that movie was forgettable) - he has a great sense of presence in both physical and voice acting. But these aren't really Bond equivalents in my eyes.

KingsGambit said:
Idris Elba is a great actor and does well as Luthor, but he doesn't fit Bond. The next one 5ish years from now should be ~35ish so that they can get 3-5 films/10-15years out of them. I would suggest Tom Holland if it were 10 years from now but he's way too young atm. One of the GoT lot might work...I'd like to see Kit Harrington with normal hair and no beard in a random contemporary drama to see if he can do any face other than his Jon Snow face. Maybe the guy who played Rob? Maybe Nick Hoult, Tom Hardy, the guy who played Egsy from Kingsman, I'd even think Daniel Radcliffe once he's in his thirties and lost the boyishness...they might be interesting options. Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, they could probably pull it off too. Or they just get an unknown.
Of those...I'll be honest, I can't see Radcliffe as Bond. I saw him in Guilderstern and Rosencrantz are dead. He's certainly a great actor, but, well, y'know how I said that Elba has too much physicality? Radcliffe has the opposite problem. There's a kind of youth and earnestness in his performances that I hope he doesn't lose.

Likewise, I can't see Kit Harrington as Bond either. His voice, his looks...nup. M
 

Gethsemani_v1legacy

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Hawki said:
That said, I don't think Elba's a good choice. Nothing against his acting, but Elba has a kind of 'heaviness' to his performances that I don't think suits Bond's character. He's not the guy who plays the gentlemen, he's the guy who plays the 'heavy.' The 'working class joe.' Bond's basically an idealized version of an English upper class man - Oxford educated, bowtie wearing, charming and suave, etc. I saw Elba in Bastille Day for instance, and again, great at being the 'heavy,' but I can't imagine him playing a character that usually goes for a bit more subtlety. Also, Elba's getting on in his years. Craig, for instance, started playing Bond in 2006 at the age of 38. He's now 50. Roger Moore's last Bond outing was at the age of 58. Idris Elba is already 45.
Watch the Wire. His performance as 'Stringer' Bell is all about being the articulate, educated manager who is not concerned with the street and hood stuff. He can definitely pull off a more traditional James Bond, just as he's likely to be able to pull off a more Craig-kind of Bond. Elba is incredibly diverse in his performances, which is what would make him a potentially good fit for James Bond. He's very likely to be able to shape a performance that's distinctly Bond but also his own take.
 

Silentpony_v1legacy

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I thought he was too black to be Bond? It'll be hard to top Craig, but I guess you have to go in a completely different direction like what's his ass did for Suicide Squad's Joker. just you know Idris, do it...good.
 

Vanilla ISIS

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He's 45, that's too old to be starting as Bond. People need to get off the Elba hype train, it ain't happening.
As far as I know, the next Bond will most likely be Tom Hiddleston or Henry Cavill. I would choose Dan Stevens but that's just my preference.
 

Elijin

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KingsGambit said:
He's not really Bond and he's already way too old. Even if he were the next Bond, Craig is in the next movie which is at least a year or two away, and he'd then be 3-4 years after that, so between 4-6 years minimum, by which time he'd be mid-fifties and good for one film. I believe this thread topic keeps appearing so that people can pat themselves (and each other) on the back for being so un-racist because they think a black man can do something a white man can do, while calling anyone who doesn't agree a racist. How very progressive. 🙄

Idris Elba is a great actor and does well as Luthor, but he doesn't fit Bond. The next one 5ish years from now should be ~35ish so that they can get 3-5 films/10-15years out of them. I would suggest Tom Holland if it were 10 years from now but he's way too young atm. One of the GoT lot might work...I'd like to see Kit Harrington with normal hair and no beard in a random contemporary drama to see if he can do any face other than his Jon Snow face. Maybe the guy who played Rob? Maybe Nick Hoult, Tom Hardy, the guy who played Egsy from Kingsman, I'd even think Daniel Radcliffe once he's in his thirties and lost the boyishness...they might be interesting options. Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, they could probably pull it off too. Or they just get an unknown.
Henry Cavill did a pretty good off brand bond in that one movie.
 

Cycloptomese

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Elba is like the smoothest dude in the world. He should be Bond, Indiana Jones, the next Logan, and also my dad.
 

Johnny Novgorod

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The problem with Elba is the same problem with Craig - suave as he can be he never looks like he's enjoying himself in anything.
 

Xprimentyl

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Cycloptomese said:
Elba is like the smoothest dude in the world. He should be Bond, Indiana Jones, the next Logan, and also my dad.
Haha!

Not going to pretend to be a big Bond fan (I find the films pretty cheesy: power/action fantasy meets dime store romance novel, so something for the whole damn family, I guess) but I think Elba could pull it off; he was kinda Bond-esque suave in The Office (of all things.) He?s exceptional in pretty much everything I?ve seen him in. I generally dislike serial crime dramas, but when my friend made me watch Luther, I binged the whole series in a weekend; it was incredible.


Johnny Novgorod said:
The problem with Elba is the same problem with Craig - suave as he can be he never looks like he's enjoying himself in anything.
Well, when you?re that smooth, you don?t have to look like you?re enjoying yourself; enjoyment has the privilege of having you; ya gotta act like ya been there before! :p
 

Johnny Novgorod

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Xprimentyl said:
Johnny Novgorod said:
The problem with Elba is the same problem with Craig - suave as he can be he never looks like he's enjoying himself in anything.
Well, when you?re that smooth, you don?t have to look like you?re enjoying yourself; enjoyment has the privilege of having you; ya gotta act like ya been there before! :p
But he looks so boooored and weary in everything.
Best Bonds were the ones that were acting cool AND having fun.
 

Terminal Blue

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This one has been going around the block for a while now. I'm surprised it can still walk straight..

On the "he's too old" thing. I'm pretty sure the target audience for Bond films is just the same people who kept the "Taken" franchise and "Top Gear" in business, at this point. i.e. Old men deep in the grip of midlife crisis, really insecure about their fading masculinity and who need to be constantly reassured that they're still important and relevant and could still totally bang hot women half their age if only they had a cool spy car.

On the "he's too black" thing. Has anyone noticed that most of the attributes of bond as a character (hypersexuality, violence, material excess) are also stereotypes of black masculinity. In fact, I'd say that's the biggest argument not to have a black actor play Bond, because it's obvious and lazy.
 

PsychedelicDiamond

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Hasn't he been considered to play Bond for nearly half a decade now? Not gonna happen, it's gonna be another handsome interchangeable white dude if they ever do get off their ass to replace Craig who, honestly, has been playing the role for way too long for how little he actually brought to it. To, to be fair, after all these years, what is there left to do with James Bond?
 

Xprimentyl

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Johnny Novgorod said:
Xprimentyl said:
Johnny Novgorod said:
The problem with Elba is the same problem with Craig - suave as he can be he never looks like he's enjoying himself in anything.
Well, when you?re that smooth, you don?t have to look like you?re enjoying yourself; enjoyment has the privilege of having you; ya gotta act like ya been there before! :p
But he looks so boooored and weary in everything.
Best Bonds were the ones that were acting cool AND having fun.
I won?t refute that, but I guess that?s a part of his charm, imho? Or at least what I?ve come to like about him; he?s just so damned tired of being so damned cool all the damned time. But seriously, I haven?t seen him in everything he?s done, but those roles I have seen him in actually ARE world-weary people, so I couldn?t really tell if it was the role or the man:

Luther: titular detective who sees the worst of shit, regularly throws ethics out the window to get shit done, risks his life every day and his home life basically collapsing around him.

The Mountain Between Us: survives a plane crash and forced to survive in a harsh environment and protect the only other survivor who?s injured.

The Office: a level-headed, rational person put in charge of an office spilling over at the brim with inanity.

Thor/Avenger films: ? he?s stuck guarding a damn bridge, for Christ?s sake! Have you ever seen a toll booth operator who?s NOT about 3 minutes away from a swig of booze, a shot gun in the mouth or both??

But as I?m not a fan of Bond as he has been portrayed traditionally (and I?ve not seen but 2-3 films, can?t recall which ?Bonds? they were,) I?d like an Elba-esque Bond. I?m certain these are the traits that define the character, but Bond is just too? clean? Perfect? Debonair? That?s probably a bit like saying I don?t like sugar because it?s sweet, but meh. ?Shaken, not stuuud.? Pssh, that Bond is the kind of guy that walks into the bar and the cynic in me automatically goes ?welp, I hate THAT guy.?