Until the next James Bond is formally announced by the franchise producers, fans will continue to debate who the best casting choice would be. For a long time, Idris Elba has consistently come up as a popular choice with fans. Any time the subject of casting the new Bond comes up, chances are it won't be long before someone brings up Elba's name.
As it stands now, no one has yet been cast as the next James Bond after Daniel Craig retired from the role with one final performance in No Time to Die. The idea from producers was to allow Craig time to enjoy his send-off from the series before announcing the next actor to take on the part. Previously, producer Barbara Broccoli had suggested that these casting talks wouldn't really start picking up until sometime later in 2022.
This is not to say that there haven't been some talks behind the scenes about various possibilities, even if the producers haven't gotten to the point of considering anyone seriously just yet. Broccoli was recently asked specifically about Elba in a recent interview for Deadline's Crew Call podcast. Per Screen Rant, here's what Broccoli had to say about the possibility.
"Well, we know Idris, we're friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor. And, you know, it's been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat. So, you know, I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has had its run and Daniel has been able to - well, we've all been able to savor, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about, or talk about anybody else."
Idris Elba Has Suggested That the James Bond Ship Has Sailed
It might be that too much time has passed for Idris Elba to play James Bond. In October, the actor personally weighed in on the Bond casting rumors, and for his part, he didn't offer a very optimistic response. Per ITV London, Elba was asked if he would be playing 007, and he bluntly responded, "No, I'm not going to be the next Bond." He added that no actor "wouldn't" want to play the "incredible role" of James Bond, suggesting he'd be open to it, but his confident response would imply that he's moved on.
With that being said, the James Bond producers could always sway Elba into playing the part if he's a part of the new casting conversations moving forward. If not, there are plenty of other actors for producers to choose from. Several have many fans of their own campaigning for them to play the part. These fan favorites include Tom Hardy, Rege-Jean Page, Tom Hiddleston, and Richard Madden.
Another very popular candidate is Henry Cavill, who was up for playing Bond when Daniel Craig was ultimately cast for Casino Royale. At the time, the reasoning was that Cavill was a bit too young for the role. Now that Cavill is older and a more seasoned actor, some fans say he's more perfect for the role than ever. In any case, no matter who gets cast, there will be some people happy while others will be disappointed.