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Idris Elba has a message for fans who 'just want to have a black guy play James Bond'
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Since the character of James Bond first appeared in the 1950s, he's seen a lot of changes.
The MI6 agent began life as a character in a novel, before progressing to a comic book figure, then a TV star, and eventually a video game hero. But James Bond wouldn't be the popular icon he is today without one huge factor: the movies.
Sean Connery was famously the first actor to assume the role of the British spy, and is still considered by many purists to be the best. However, after more than a decade in the role, he had to step aside, leaving others to fill his incredibly prestigious shoes.
Now, nearly 60 years after it first hit the big screen, the franchise is looking for a new person to be the face of the most famous secret agent in history - and there's still some debate over who it could be.
Most recently, Tom Hardy has been tipped as the most likely person to take over the role, but there have also been rumors that former One Direction singer, Harry Styles, could step up to the job.
One name that comes up time and time again when discussing potential future Bonds, however, is Idris Elba. The Pacific Rim star has certainly proven that he's capable of holding his own in an action flick before, also he brushes up quite nicely in a smart suit, too.
However, the 45-year-old actor has some qualms about the people who keep trying to shoehorn him into the role.
"It’s interesting that the James Bond thing continues to go," he said. "I think it’s more about 'we just want to have a black guy play James Bond' rather than 'Idris Elba, the actor, play James Bond'. That’s the part that I’m like 'ugh, come on.'"
His message is no doubt going to upset some people - as there are literally thousands of people out there who relentlessly tweet about how much they'd love to see the actor in the role - but you can't exactly blame him. After all, we'd all much rather be awarded something because we'd earned it, rather than because we were perceived as some kind of novelty.
Elba pushed this line of thinking in an interview with Variety, in which he asked why we should just stop at the idea of James Bond being black. Why not diversify the role even further?
"Are we interested in having a Bond character other than being a male?” he asked. "Could be a woman, could be a black woman, could be a white woman, but I think, that character, everybody would like to see it have — do something different with it, why not?"
Barbara Broccoli, who has produced the Bond films for more than 30 years, seems to agree with the notion that the franchise could do with a little shaking up;
"These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit. Anything is possible," she said. "Right now it’s Daniel Craig, and I’m very happy with Daniel Craig but who knows what the future will bring?"
Judging by his statements, however, it's pretty safe to assume that Elba isn't too keen on taking on the role. Still, it'll be interesting to see who will eventually step up to the platform and whether they'll be able to perform as well as any of their predecessors.
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