Tom Hanks has revealed that he wants Idris Elba to be the next James Bond.
The Cast Away actor made it clear that he thinks the Luther star would make the best choice for the role of Bond while speaking to the BBC.
“Understand this,” Hanks told the outlet.
“James Bond has a licence to kill. I would issue that licence to Idris Elba just based on the work that I’ve seen him do.”
He’s not the only big name to back Elba either, with former Bond actor Pierce Brosnan also backing the star.
It comes after Elba himself shared his thoughts on the possibility of taking on the role of 007 from Daniel Craig.
James Bond is an iconic figure. The 007 agent dates all the way back to 1953 after a series of books were created and published by British author, Ian Fleming.
When he died in 1964, his legacy of work was recognised and was to be later adapted onto the big screen, creating the James Bond that we all know and love to this day.
The first of the films was Dr. No, which saw the late Sean Connery step into the shoes of James Bond. He played the role of the 007 agent for 7 of the movies, including From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
Other iconic actors who went on to play the role include David Niven and George Lazenby, before the suit was later passed over to Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan.
And then, of course, came Daniel Craig. His first stint as Bond was in the reboot of Casino Royale, and despite starring in only 4 Bond movies, Craig has become the longest-serving 007 agent.
But, unfortunately for Craig fans, his time as the iconic character has come to an end, as he has stepped down from the role as Bond.
No Time To Die, Craig’s fifth and final movie as the superstar agent, was released in 2021. The movie was released after several pushbacks and was a huge hit among fans as they sadly saw Craig take on the role of Bond for one last time.
But, as sad as people are to see him go, it’s left everyone with one question… Who will replace him?
Rumours have been circling for months now about the next possible 007, and a lot of people began pitching the idea that the next James Bond should be a woman.
It also has to be said that the actors who have played the 007 agent in the past have all lacked one thing, and that’s diversity.
All of the James Bond actors have been white, and many are hoping for this to be changed for the next movie.
Speaking in an interview with Variety, producer Barbara Broccoli said: “He can be of any colour, but he is male.”
The question of who will be the next Bond still remains on people’s lips. And James Bond producers recently confirmed that Idris Elba has been “part of the conversation” for the next 007.
In an interview with Deadline, producer Barbara Broccoli revealed that they thought Elba was a “magnificent actor.”
“Well, we know Idris, we’re friends with him, and he’s a magnificent actor,” she said.
“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.”
But it seems he’s not up for the role despite speculation that he could be the next 007, as he is just too committed to his present detective job as Luther, which is coming out with a film titled The Fallen Sun, later this month.
The synopsis is as follows: “In Luther: The Fallen Sun a gruesome serial killer is terrorising London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Idris Elba) sits behind bars.
“Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.”
Talking about the movie, Elba said: “We’ve been working on the television show for about ten years and so the natural ambition is to take it to the big screen, and so we’re here with the first movie.
“You know, a lot of people talk about another character that begins with J and ends with B, but I’m not going to be that guy.
“I’m going to be John Luther. That’s who I am.”
