--- title: Idris Elba: Denies James Bond Rumors in Interview VIDEO description: Speculation has been swirling for years that Idris Elba will be the next James Bond, but it's time to put that idea to bed once and for all. canonical: https://time.com/4419222/idris-elba-not-playing-james-bond-rumors/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-22T17:04:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:34:42.176Z og:title: Please Stop Asking Idris Elba About Playing James Bond og:description: The man has had enough og:url: https://time.com/4419222/idris-elba-not-playing-james-bond-rumors/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1f71dccaf35bf8a/69889edbfb4eac3d5b88e686/idris-elba-james-bond.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 - Winners Room og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Please Stop Asking Idris Elba About Playing James Bond twitter:description: The man has had enough twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1f71dccaf35bf8a/69889edbfb4eac3d5b88e686/idris-elba-james-bond.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Please Stop Asking Idris Elba About Playing James Bond > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jul 22, 2016 5:04 PM UTC  Idris Elba poses in the Winners room at the House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 at the Royal Festival Hall on May 8, 2016 in London, England. Idris Elba poses in the Winners room at the House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 at the Royal Festival Hall on May 8, 2016 in London, England. Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jul 22, 2016 5:04 PM UTC Does [Idris Elba](http://time.com/4299764/idris-elba-2016-time-100/?iid=sr-link1) have a glorious British accent? Yes. Can he rock a tux with the best of them? Yes. Will he ever play [James Bond](http://time.com/4079504/james-bond-facts-trivia/)? No. Speculation has been swirling for years that Elba will be the next actor to take up the 007 mantle, but after his recent [appearance on _Good Morning America_](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/idris-elba-talks-wildest-james-bond-rumor-role/story?id=40740961), it’s time to put that idea to bed once and for all. During a Thursday interview on the talk show, the [_Star Trek Beyond_](http://time.com/4413135/star-trek-beyond-review/)star dismissed the casting claims as, “the wildest rumor in the world,” adding, “I keep saying if it were to happen it would be the will of a nation because there hasn’t been any talks between me and the studio about any of that. But everywhere I go people want that to happen, so.” Elba also noted that he thinks he is over the Bond hill. “If I’m really honest man, I think I’m too old for that man — running around in cars and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that?,” he quipped. “Sounds terrible.” This is certainly not the first time the 43-year-old actor has made an effort to quell the Bond fever surrounding him. Speaking at London’s British Film Institute in 2015, Elba blamed the gossip on the man who most recently possessed the license to kill. “Honestly, it’s a rumor that’s really starting to eat itself. If there was ever any chance of me getting Bond, it’s gone,” [he said](http://www.people.com/article/idris-elba-james-bond-rumor-daniel-craig). “Daniel Craig actually set the rumor off. About four years ago he said Idris Elba would be a great Bond and then it started to creep. I blame Daniel.” Not to mention the time he blasted the notion of becoming the first “black Bond” during a 2014 interview on ITV’s _Lorraine_. “I’ve always detested the phrase, ‘black Bond.’ I just don’t understand it,” Elba said. “We don’t say, ‘white Bond,’ we just say, ‘Bond,’ so it suddenly becomes a black man and he’s a, ‘black Bond.’ So I hate that phrase and it’s a rumor that has gotten out of control basically — but that’s all it is. There’s no truth in it whatsoever.” So there you have it, folks. It’s finally time to stop asking Idris Elba about playing James Bond. Besides, he has already [done enough for us](http://time.com/4414708/idris-elba-shows-off-his-sweet-dance-moves-on-the-tonight-show/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4419222/idris-elba-not-playing-james-bond-rumors/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4419222/idris-elba-not-playing-james-bond-rumors/"},"headline":"Please Stop Asking Idris Elba About Playing James Bond","datePublished":"2016-07-22T17:04:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:34:42.176Z","description":"The man has had enough","url":"https://time.com/4419222/idris-elba-not-playing-james-bond-rumors/","keywords":["Newsfeed","movies","James Bond","Idris Elba"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1f71dccaf35bf8a/69889edbfb4eac3d5b88e686/idris-elba-james-bond.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc1f71dccaf35bf8a/69889edbfb4eac3d5b88e686/idris-elba-james-bond.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 - Winners Room","caption":"Idris Elba poses in the Winners room at the House Of Fraser British Academy Television Awards 2016 at the Royal Festival Hall on May 8, 2016 in London, England.","creditText":"Stuart C. 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