“Should Idris Elba play James Bond?” is a question that tends to bubble up into the public consciousness every few years, regardless of where the next James Bond movie is in its development. The question is generally accompanied by a big fan campaign to get Elba cast as Bond—even if there is already someone playing Bond and the new Bond movie is already being filmed—as well as a similarly big backlash from people who, for some reason, don’t want to Idris Elba sipping on martinis, objectifying women, and driving Aston Martins. Seriously, though, it’s pretty obvious that the reason that some people are so opposed to this idea is that Idris Elba is Black, while James Bond has always been played by a white guy—ergo, “James Bond is supposed to be white” even though that’s stupid.
Anyway, speaking with Vanity Fair, Elba now says he gets “disheartened” when he hears about people saying he can’t play a certain role just because he’s Black, especially since that could impact the way the movie is received. “If I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would ie be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to.” It’s an understandable concern, and a situation that the 2016 Ghostbusters movie had to deal with when it failed to become much of a hit, but it doesn’t sound like Elba’s willing to let racist naysayers scare him off of playing James Bond.
He admits that he’s never officially expressed any interest in the character, but he’d say yes if they asked him. “Of course, if someone said to me ‘Do you want to play James Bond?,’ I’d be like, Yeah! That’s fascinating to me. But it’s not something I’ve expressed, like, yeah, I wanna be the Black James Bond.”
114 Comments
Is capitalization of “black” by a white man an ok thing? I’m lost here.
What’s even stranger is that he writes aSian like this.
Capitalizing is racist now? I’m coming up to a semi colon just now; semicolons are safe, I assume
I mean, it’s a little weird that he capitalizes Black but not white?
A far as I can see the OP doesn’t use the word “white” or “White” at all. The point of the article is that Elba is Black….and so shouldn’t be Bond. I took it to mean that Black is the big issue. He uses small letters when he’s not hitting the Point! of the article.
“Seriously, though, it’s pretty obvious that the reason that some people are so opposed to this idea is that Idris Elba is Black, while James Bond has always been played by a white guy—ergo, “James Bond is supposed to be white” even though that’s stupid.”You readin’ right?
It’s as though the OP is thinking of Elba’s skin colour as part of his identity, as opposed to…his skin colour.
Uh oh. You do not want to invoke the wrath of the Colon Rights Activists. Those guys are really shitty.
“Don’t give me any of that racist crap my husband and I gave money to Colin Powell!”
Uh oh. You do not want to invoke the wrath of the Colon Rights Activists. Those guys are really shitty.
YOU ARE OFFENSIVE SIR; AND FURTHERMORE…
You Facist!
Someone who hates certain types of faces?
I’ll get my coat…
Capitalizing is racist now? No, but many racists do capitalize things like Country, Border, Crime, Fake and News. Many racists. You’d be surprised. It’ll be announced next week, stay tuned.
I think I probably won’t. I suspect this one of them Jokes I’ve heard about. Many racists eat cereal. I’m still gonna have me some Raisin Bran.
Isn’t this site anti-capitalist?
I’m in favor of him being cast as Bond just so everyone shuts the fuck up with the constant speculation about him playing Bond.
There is no danger behind Hemsworh’s eyes. A Hemsworth Bond would be Roger Moore all over again; those could be good, but the quippiness grates quickly. I see that he is 35, which is at the lower limit of proper Bond age, but he feels too young for me. Maybe in a few years…
Sorry but Roger Moore was the BEST Bond…unpopular as that opinion may be
On this premise, I absolutely agree
Why would Idris Elba play James Bond? He is a way better actor than that.
It is like asking if Barack Obama would want to work for the Treasury of Idaho.
Just go all the way: in the next James Bond movie, have Idris fight an alt-right figure, cuckolding him right in front of him.I mean, that’s basically what happens in all of them already, but make subtext text.
Ooh – I know. Have the villain be an alt-right racist but whose fetish is that he WANTS James Bond to cuck him. So then Bond has the dilemma of whether to have sex with the girl ( who up until now has been the villain’s partner but is developing sympathy/affection for Bond), knowing it will please the villain, or refuse long enough to defeat the villain first. Does this risk shaming people with cuck fetishes? Sure, but I think it might still be kind of ok to giggle at cuck fetishists? And when have Bond movies really cared anyway? Meanwhile, I vote for Johnny Depp to play the villain.
Plus, if there’s any group of fetishists who’ll enjoy the shame, it’s cuckoldists.
Duh. Liberals are racists. They would rather have Bond be a woman or gay or both preferably.
Ok, there’s a bit of an article heading/article body mismatch going on here.In the article Elba “ says he gets “disheartened” when he hears about people saying he can’t play a certain role just because he’s Black”. Um, well duh, that’s an expected normal human reaction that im sure most nonwhite actors can relate to. To make a leap to say hes talking about Bond right there, and create that charged heading is ridiculous.And by the way, who exactly keeps pushing this nonstory. im about to make a possibly controversial statement but screw it, I don’t honestly believe there is a single person (certainly no Black person ) who is remotely interested in a black James bond or thinks there could or should be one in the future, so all this Black-bond chatter sounds like a lot of fake-woke-bullshit noone is buying. Or should be buying.
I think there could be a black James Bond. So you’re wrong.Your statement is less controversial than it is fucking idiotic.
Is it wrong that I dont care what colour, or gender actor plays James Bond , as long as its not an American actor?
Black people love the idea of edris as james bond, because of edris, not because of james bond.-a black
This is the right take. In many ways Idris is so awesome for James Bond. I think he’s far too awesome for Fast & Furious, but I’ll reserve judgement until I see it.
If your point was “they just make a new, better James Bond” you might have a point, but what you wrote reads more like an aging racist yelling at clouds about “the Blacks.”
OK, I should have started my comment by saying I’m British and I’ve been seeing “Oooh Colin Salmon/Chiwetel Ejiofor/Idris Elba should totally be Bond!” in the UK media for over a decade now – and it’s all getting too eye-roll inducing for me, as if the media is saying “Look how far we’ve come, guys! we’re woke! we are actually seriously discussing a Black man as Bond – what massive strides in diversity!”. That’s bullshit. Nobody is seriously discussing anything! It’s all just hollow conjecture and empty window-dressing rhetoric of no benefit to any actors of colour, or people like me who want to see more actors of colour on screen.So my point, which I guessed I was probably bumbling as I typed my comment, is that I just feel all this talk about “Idris as James Bond” that keeps resurfacing is just paying lip service to the actual diversity problem Hollywood has, which as Idris said, means that actors/actresses of colour aren’t considered for roles (roles which could be played by any ethnicity) because the powers-that-be in Hollywood are stuck in tunnel vision expecting white people in those roles. When Denzel Washington and Viola Davis and Spike Lee and Regina King are talking about more opportunities in Hollywood, does the role of James Bond really have anything to do with anything? Idris himself said he’s officially expressed no interest and no-one’s officially expressed interest in him. So, call me a cynic, but this non-story seems like a non-story, and a clickbait heading about “racists not wanting to see Idris as Bond” is, just that, clickbait.
Or people just think he’d be a great James Bond.
You moved the goalposts pretty far there chief. No one is claiming it would solve Hollywood’s diversity problem. You made a demonstrably nonsense claim “I don’t honestly believe there is a single person (certainly no Black person ) who is remotely interested in a black James bond or thinks there could or should be one in the future” I mean you could look on this forum or Twitter or any number of places to find loads of people, black and white, who think Idris would be great. It wouldn’t be a news story if there wasn’t support for the idea. Now the producers may or not be interested in him or any other black man, but that’s not what you claimed.
Hey guys! The limey bigot is still talking! Watch him be British AND racist!
I think a modern-day black James Bond would be super interesting. So much of the classic Bond persona is that he can just slip into the scene among the (all-white) super-elite and wealthy, and I think it would be interesting to see how that changes with a still-posh and urbane Bond who’s also black and doesn’t blend in in the same way. Of course, I expect that if they did it, they’d just make him black and never mention race at all so it would be ultimately disappointing for everyone, but there’s a kernel of an interesting idea there with a good screenwriter that I’d love to see.
It’s not about having “a black James Bond,” it’s about having Idris Elba specifically play James Bond, because he’d be amazing at it and it would get me interested in a James Bond movie again for the first time in a decade.
He’s too street. He’s a better fit playing Shaft, which is the Black Man’s James Bond.
That’s not even a dogwhistle, that’s just, like, a regular whistle.
Don’t tell me you wouldn’t see a Shaft movie where Idris is rampaging around NYC in a Caddy, wearing a leather duster and saying things like “say what, sucka”?I would. I’d even sneak in some Colt 45.
por que no los dos?
No. I loathe British actors doing American accents. Only a tiny minority do so convincingly. Idris affecting a shaft voice would be purly chringworthy
Even in the Wire, his accent slips noticeably often
By street do you mean “typecast in one’s mind since The Wire”, or is it a polite way of saying he’s “[too] black”?
You gonna call him “urban” next?
This exactly ^
There’s no “leap.” It’s what he’s talking about. And I would be very interested in seeing him in this role. He’s a great-looking, fantastic actor, and has proven himself capable of this kind of role in many movies. But obviously I’m just a “fake-woke” straight middle-aged white guy. Here’s the relevant part of the article, please show us all where the “leap” is:
He’s had his eye on bigger fish lately. His ambition seems to be to
push the suave but down-to-earth intelligence he’s honed in his career
to date into the mainstream, an aim that recently seemed to hit an
as-yet-invisible limit, one that surprises anyone who’s grown to
associate Elba with heroic complexity, protagonists whose moral heroism
constantly wavers. I’m talking, of course, about Bond, James Bond.
Rumors of his serving as the next 007 have taken on a strange and
outsize place in Elba’s professional narrative these last few years. And
with good reason: It would be an ideal role for Elba, you’d think.
Speculation that Elba would be hired as the first black James Bond was
sparked in part by a 2018 survey in the Hollywood Reporter
claiming that 63 percent of Americans wanted him for the role, a
reflection of, if nothing else, the changing times. It always seemed to
have been more a matter of the will of the people than of actual
prospects. He was, by all accounts, never seriously considered.Elba
confirms for me that this is not happening and adds that he doesn’t
love to talk about it. “James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved
character, that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey,” he
says. “Of course, if someone said to me ‘Do you want to play James
Bond?,’ I’d be like, Yeah! That’s fascinating to me. But it’s not
something I’ve expressed, like, Yeah, I wanna be the black James Bond.” He now has fun with the rumormongering, riling up fans with 007-esque tweets and a selfie with Daniel Craig.It’s
almost disappointing. The idea of a black 007 is intriguing, even
opportune for a narrative shakedown or two. Picture it: a Bond whose
advantages include not being the white guy everyone thinks they’re
hunting for, but someone black, or a woman—or both. Blaxploitation
movies used to make fun of scenarios like this, as have countless
undercover-cop movies. “Because, by the way,” Elba says, “we’re talking
about a spy. If you really want to break it down, the more less-obvious
it is, the better.”Which hasn’t made him any more eager to have
the conversation. Here, his nonchalance wavers a little. “You just get
disheartened,” he says, “when you get people from a generational point
of view going, ‘It can’t be.’ And it really turns out to be the color of
my skin. And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would
it be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to
put myself into when I don’t need to.”
I have no particular need for anything from the media, not even a white James Bond, but i would watch the fuck out an Idris Elba James Bond, because he’s perfect for it. Charming and threatening. He is aware of the effect he has on women.
Probably the only good thing that came from Ben Affleck’s Daredevil movie was Michael Clark Duncan’s portrayal of Kingpin. If that change worked, then let Elba play Bond. What’s the worst he’ll do? Make Dalton or Lazenby look better by comparison?Though I do admit I have an ulterior motive – a racist fellow I know complains about Daniel Craig playing Bond. “James Bond is not a blonde!” Well buddy, you got your wish. Bond isn’t being played by a blonde anymore.
The only possible thing you could do with that tired franchise to interest me is radically changing Bond – black, gay, a woman….I would reboot with a 60’s Cold War movie with Elba as James Bond. He’s an international spy, hero, legend in England, then he has to come to America where he’s treated like a child in our racist society. Two villains – whoever he’s chasing and the racism in America.
I think Idris Elba would make a great James Bond, he’s a very beautiful man and oozes confidence.
The notion that he or another black man couldn’t possibly play James Bond is ridiculous. The question is why not? What’s so special about James Bond? All he is is a special agent of the British gov, a suave man and a womanizer.
“I don’t honestly believe there is a single person (certainly no Black person ) who is remotely interested in a black James bond” – you would be insane to not honestly believe that.
I don’t really care about having a black or really any race of James Bond but I’m interested as hell in seeing the bad ass actor Idris Elba play the role.
What’s wrong with having the best Bond though?Elba would be outstanding in the role.
So when a white actor plays a non-white character it’s called racist and whitewashing. but when a non-white actor plays a white character it’s not racist? how does that work? Also, James Bond is a white English guy so having white English play him would be correct casting. Have Elba create his own superhero type character. Reeves did with Neo and John Wick, Theron did with Atomic Blonde and those movies turned out really well.
Ugh(!)…you have all the ingredients of a James Bond flick, all except the go-ahead of Broccoli and Wilson, why not just get, oh I don’t know, ANOTHER different spy flick off the ground? By people that actually want to? Get the recently ousted Danny Boyle and his team to come up with a script they actually want to go ahead with, grab Idris, maybe throw in a compatriot like a Lena Headey and voila! Why is this so hard? They don’t have to be the James Bond. We already missed out on a perfectly good Clive Owen, let’s not let it happen again. The soundtrack will write itself.
I don’t think it helps that other than Bourne, which is pretty ragged in of itself, and Mission Impossible, which revolves around Tom Cruise, there aren’t really signs of a big audience for alternatives. Instead people just keep making the latest spinoff of a Fast & Furious movie.
Atomic Blonde was pretty dope though.
A Bond villain always pays their debts.
Because James Bond is an enduring name that means something – and sells tickets. You could definitely make that Idris Elba spy-action movie, and it’d (probably) make money. But a Bond movie would make a LOT of money. More importantly James Bond is at this point a piece of cultural history, a decades-long enduring character that’s made all of its actors historical icons. I remember George Lazenbys name, because he was James Bond once. It’s a role that is chosen meticulously, and a huge bone of contention. That’s why you can create a film like it, sure, but it won’t have the same cultural impact. And that’s why it’d be a very serious deal if a non-white actor took on the role.
First off, yes to all you said. The thing is, I’m not looking or asking for a Bond copy. Like the word in my first sentence, ‘ingredients’ are what we have, let’s use em, and certainly not for a carbon copy. There was an article here on avclub a few days ago(?) quoting Boyle, and if I remember a bit of it, it was something like “we left because the Bond team have their fixed recipe and don’t want any other kind of meal’… something like that. So I’m not asking for a Bond copy, It’s just you have the ingredients with Boyle and his team of writers, you have a perfectly good Elba (who, btw, I have absolutely no fanbase interest in (I’m totes happy with Luthor, I don’t need any more)), I just saw this article and was like, “why not just do your own thing?’). We have lots of Le Carre, Kingsman, Bourne, and even MI:1–#’s, I’m totes happy, and would be happy with anything additional to the genre, variety is my thing, especially with a master craftsman like Boyle to hopefully add something. And btw… I often wear a puffy tuxedo shirt and kilt for halloween, because I like Bond and because I know when I get to the party, one or two people in the crowd will shout from across the room “George Lazenby”, and they’ll be correct and I’ll have made a couple of instant friends 😉
Kevin Mcglorys ghost* “Hey guys , we could do our own rival movie and remake Thunderball again?!?”(*Years ago my dad was working as an apprentice carpenter ,rebuilding the manor house Mcglory owned at the time , and over the course of the rebuild the two had a lot of great conversations , and my dad always swore he was a lovely guy , I only found this a few years back , just before my dad passed away, so I’ve always felt bad about slagging off thunderball/never say never since.)
I would pay all the money for a spy movie with Elba and Headey staring.
“Why is this so hard?”Because big action movies with major stars cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make with little guarantee of making big box office. Sure, it might work, but if it doesn’t make back lots of money everyone attached will wind up with smeared with failure stink, and Hollywood people of terrified of failure stink. At least franchises like Bond provide cover for the people involved. It will almost certainly make money, and if it isn’t box office gold they can always shrug their shoulders and say “Who knew?”.
Every other spy movie suffers from Bond comparisons, and unless they’re the ones like Bourne and MI, which have established material from previous sources to help command interest, they fizzle out, usually without sequels.Kingsman gave us something intriguing, but you can’t establish the same sort of franchise when you kill all but one of the supporting characters at the beginning of the second one.RED was good and got a sequel, which was not nearly as good.A good, classic spy flick is nearly impossible to do in a way that doesn’t evoke Bond because Bond set so many standards.I get where you’re coming from, but to get a new series would require a lot of factors and risks that these guys don’t usually take.
Truly the problem of our times. Oh wait that’s right 99% of human being give zero fucks about who plays Bond.
No no you got it all wrong! It’s not because he is black. Its because they value historical accuracy! There were almost no black, high functioning alcoholic, kinda creepy, mass murdering spies in real life! Stop lumping people who love history with racists!Forced diversity! PC Police! Flat Earth! Dont tread on me! Do you want fries with that!
Idris Elba is still in great shape but he’s also getting closer to 50 so starting up as a new Bond which is a lengthy commitment… I think they missed the window. If they were to cast a black British dude as Bond I’d vote for Daniel Kaluuya. Handsome, sharp, young, been in action movies. He’d be awesome.
Too young-looking for me. Chiwetel Ejiofor is who I’ve always had in mind for a black James Bond, provided they don’t wait too long to cast him.Also, have this Bond be someone of Jamaican descent, rather than just generically black.
By the time the next Bond rolls out and Craig finally retires and they feel the urge to cast a new guy I’m sure Kaluuya will have a bit more grizzle in his looks. Ejiiofor is pretty smooth too. I remember him as “The Operative” in the “Serenity” movie and if he brings that kind of efficiency he’ll make a great Bond.
Should Kaluuya actually get the part, I’ll have to hope so. In my opinion, he doesn’t have the smoldering sex appeal to play a ladies’ man. But I also found Connery creepy, and he’s the gold standard, so apparently I know nothing. What I’m saying is, I’m a straight guy, so whatever opinion I’ll give you can only concern the first variable in the “men want to be him, women want to be with him” equation.
While I wouldn’t mind if Idris Elba plays Bond, the otherwise lackluster MiB: International makes me want to see Chris Hemsworth in the role.
Don’t they exclusively hire British actors? If so, Chris Hemsworth wouldn’t work since he’s Australian.
Pierce Brosnan is Irish, Timothy Dalton is half American, George Lazenby is, of all things, Australian, and Sean Connery himself has Irish paternal ancestry, which is how a Scotsman gets to have that name.
I would be surprised if any less than 100% of racists didn’t want Idris Elba as Bond. The disappointing thing is that there are still so many racists, and that people listen to what they say.
I would have voted for Obama a third time too, Sam.
Have these racist idiots not heard of alternate universes?
The idea that James Bond can be acceptably played by an australian, american or irish person but not a black person, is absolutely ludicrous.
Because James Bond is a misogynist wet dream and the misogynist boys still invested in the franchise can’t relate to a misogynist lead character that’s not white.I’m sorry, but…James Bond is trash.
I for one think we should embrace the ability of people from all races and ethnic backgrounds to depict heroic service to British Imperialism and a family of Germans who changed their name in 1917 to ‘Windsor’ for PR purposes. THIS IS PROGRESS!
Eh, forget James Bond. I want to see a black Jeremy Clarkson.
I grow tired of people trying to use tools of past eras to try to solve social problems. On the surface, hiring a black actor to play James Bond seems progressive. But maybe we shouldn’t depend on this type of property to correct bigger problems. The James Bond films are basically a letter to Penthouse about a time when be-suited white guys were cool and when women were property. So let’s not toy with the idea of how to get ourselves a black James Bond. Let’s stop making these films.
If my eyes had rolled into the back of my head any harder I’d be blind.It’s a spy movie. If there’s someone willing to bankroll it, let them make as many as they want. I don’t see anyone coming out of a Bond movie and installing ejecting seats or missile launchers on their cars. Or having underwater fights with a shadowy criminal organization. Or any of the other fantasies in the movies. Can you guess why?
LOL, I couldn’t click fast enough!
I don’t think Idris Elba should play James Bond.He’d be pushing 50 by the time they got to work on his first Bond movie. His screen time would be limited as Bond.I submit Daniel Kaluuya as the Black James Bond. He’s got acting chops, he knows how to carry a movie, and he could conceivably have a Connery-length run in the role. Also, he’s one of the few young British actors who didn’t have a role in Harry Potter, which is a plus (although he is currently in the MCU as a minor character, so that would likely negate it).
I don’t fancy Elba as Bond. Not for racey nonsense reasons, but because I don’t think he’s right for the part. Black Bond? Four words:Chiwitel Ejiofor. You’re welcome.
Yet again the word “racist” is thrown around by someone with a superiority complex. It’s the easiest way to be the good guy. “Racist” used to be a powerful word and sadly it no longer is because of this kind of mass stupidity.
Honestly, I just feel like we’ve missed the time where Idris was meant to take the role. I think we need a younger actor at this point. No offense at all to Idris, who would have dazzled in the role. But realistically, we need a Bond actor who is young enough to be able to stay in the role for another decade, and I just think we’re past that point with Idris. It’s a shame really.
I don’t think it’s always a racist take. I used to be in the ‘but Bond is a white guy, no need to have him played by a black actor just to please SJW’s’ camp. That was until a friend explained the idea that James Bond 007 is simply a code name for the agent-which is why he looks different every few movies. To me it made perfect sense and I suddenly changed my mind that yes, why not have a black actor portray 007 provided that said actor can match Bonds personality-something that Idris could do standing on his head. Same can be said of Colin Salmon too.
I haven’t watched a James Bond movie since I was about 12 (I am now 44) so I don’t really have a dog in the hunt, but I kind of want to see Idris Elba get the role just to piss off all the right people. Plus, it would make my mother happy, because she’s been in love with Elba since he was Stringer Bell. (Yes, my mother is a 78-year-old white lady.) Although really, I think the first JBOC (James Bond of Color) should be an Anglo-Indian. I dunno, I just think that would be cool and fun.
Watching Idris Elba as Bond would not be a movie, it would be a two hour advertisement for the studio or director’s performative wokeness. It’s a boring idea and publicity stunt that could very well work given the number of people in this comment thread (and on this writing staff) so desperately eager to make sure everyone knows how excited they are about the idea. Laaaaaaame
Fuck it, make “James” Bond black, female and gay and accept the fact anyone can kill a person with proper aim. Hell, Rebecca Ferguson was a proper badass in MI: Rogue Nation, as Isla Faust, and she had some real physical talent with the grabs and throws and such she did in the film. But then, I suppose the Bond films would lose their signature misogyny…
Since this is Craig’s last Bond, the directors should resurrect the awesome “Bond is just a code name” fan theory and have Elba appear and say the final line. Bond decides to hang it up, so Ralph Fiennes M decides to have England’s enemies running scared by turning 007’s code name permanently to “James Bond.” Bond becomes a phantom, an unkillable hunter, and the final shot of the movie shows Elba walking up to the guard at the front door of some bad guys gathering and giving his name. “Bond, James Bond.” Boom, cut to credits, the trolls get trolled.
I am tired of this but I keep chiming in. Idris Elba would be a fantastic Bond. The only rule I think is important for the character is that he be British*, and a killer. I guess that’s two rules. Elba is British and can surely play a killer. Done.If I recall my Bond lore correctly, and I might not, Ian Fleming’s books didn’t give Bond a Scottish ancestry until Connery played him, and Fleming liked the performance so much. The character is, as has been pointed out by many, a pretty simple person: he’s a trained and sanctioned assassin, and he works for the British government, usually. Idris Elba could play that – Olivier could play that, if he wasn’t dead.*Okay, but Australia has a British flag on their flag, right? So Lazenby squeaks by just fine.
In my mind bond just needs sex appeal and to look like he could win in a fight. Idris passes both of those test with flying colors.
Brosnan is Irish, so it’s not a complete lock out for non Brits, it’s just preferable.I’d take an unknown Brit over a Hemsworth for example – but my top choice for as long as he’s able is Elba, he’s just perfect.
There are multiple arguments as to why James Bond needs to be white. Some are bad and some boil down to racism. But even the article you reference misses the argument I subscribe to and find compelling.Unlike many characters that are currently or have historically been played by white male actors I’ve always understood James Bond to be a cautionary tale about society’s acceptance of white male privilege*. He’s a misogynistic sociopath who’s rampant toxic masculinity is tolerated (and even encouraged) because it gets results in a world where minorities and women are held to a higher standard***. Bond’s a bad dude who is a good guy because we’ve decided he is, and part of that is because he’s a white man. By making Bond black, it feels to me like it loses both the critique on white privilege and makes Bond someone to aspire.On the other-hand, Roger Moore. So Bond as “cool dude to aspire to” has happened before.*Ok, always is hyperbolic. Ever since I read an article that I’ve since been unable to find again that I believe was linked from a TheMarySue article. Wheels within wheels and all that.** And I think that’s a good thing. The goal should be to hold everyone to that standard rather than the lowest common denominator.
Except that no one can find these legions of racists anywhere.
Racist? Right… now try to cast Blade or John Shaft as white guys and see the same people react badly.
I would like the next Bond still close to the character as in the book. I am ok if he only has one or two features similar to James Bond. Either blue eyes instead of blue-grey as depicted in the book or brown/dark hair instead of black hair. The character has a strand on his forehead but if it shows only after a fight, I am ok with that. Idris Elba does not match. There are black people with medium dark complexion and natural blue or grey eyes and the hair can be stretched a little or just remain curly since the strand is said to be “resting like a comma on the forehead”. That would work for me. I like to stick to something. I am not racist of my own colour skin…. Maybe I am boringly strict or traditionalist, unable to adapt to change. Maybe we just don’t see Idris Elba as James Bond and it is only the fans who are pushing for it. Having said that I would get over it but given it took me to Skyfall to start appreciating Daniel Craig, I think I would never get time to appreciate Idris Elba who is soon to be 47, the new Bond should be released in 2020 if all ok and by the time they start working on a new script and start filming he could be 49/50. If you have a good James Bond actor you want to keep him for a decade. No issue with ageing providing he is full of energy and strength for a long time to fit the character. Sorry to write that but these are facts to take into account.
I think Idris Elba would be a perfect 008. James Bond is white. That is how the character has been established for years and years. He just is. I wouldn’t want him played by someone Asian or Latino or Middle-Eastern either. That is obviously NOTHING against Idris Elba, who is a fabulous actor. Yes, James Bond has been played by one actor after another, some great, some lack-luster. But all white, because then we could pretend, which we’re doing anyway, that it was the same “person” – the same “character” in each movie.
I’ve been saying Elba would be perfect for the Bond role for years. The only drawback I can see is that he’s starting to age himself out of contention — he’s only five years younger than Daniel Craig.I say if the Broccolis don’t want to make Elba the next Bond, then somebody needs to remake Thunderball / Never Say Never Again, uh… again. I mean the first remake broke ground back in ‘83 when it gave us the first black Felix Leiter when Bernie Casey took the role.
Age is what’s led me to believe it can’t happen.They’ll want the next actor to sign up for at least three movies, Elba would be nearly 60 by the time that would expire (maybe 6 years for all three movies, and a year or so removed from the next would be 7-9 years from now minimum).Maybe they can do a one and done, they’ve done it before, and try something really different or big, then let it go on to whoever is next.The problem with that is, if it goes to back to a white Brit you could argue that it was “to appease” people.Which is why I think, rather than Elba, who I would have queued for months to see, we should have:Sacha DhawanHe’s knock it out the park.
You know, that could work. Rather than the Scottish backstory of the traditional Bond, they could reinvent the role and put his family roots in British India. There are all kinds of stories to be mined there.
Plenty of Asian people settled in Scotland generstions ago, so it doesn’t even need to be that far removed
True. I’m just thinking from a screenwriting point of view and the kinds of stories they could generate.
They could simply keep Bond’s father Scottish and make change his other from Swiss to Indian.
As for simply casting a traditional white Brit, the producers do need to look for younger actors who can properly personify the role. In the books, Bond was from an upper-middle-class family that had fallen on hard times, like Flemming himself. The character cleaned up well and knew his manners, but he wasn’t sophisticated when it came to his work. He was a hard-edged blunt instrument, not a surgical tool.
I think that’s the biggest factor in Craig’s success in the role. Craig’s Bond knows how the upper class operates and he doesn’t try to hide his disdain for it.
Just fucking look at that guy in a suit and tell me he can’t play Bond.I’ll be in my bunk.
If Elba is aged out of the role, which seems likely Sacha Dhawan would be a solid, almost perfect replacement.
I’m still annoyed they needed to make one more with Craig. At least it’s shaping up to be a disaster.