There has been much speculation as to who will take over as James Bond when actor Daniel Craig, 50, steps down.
And the front-runner by a country mile appears to be Luther star Idris Elba.
And far from shying away from the attention, the London-born talent took to Twitter this week and added fuel to the fire.
Alongside a close-up picture of his face, Idris penned the captioned: “My name’s Elba. Idris Elba.”
Needless to say, the teasing update sparked frenzy among the actor’s 2.5 million followers.
In response to the post, one fan queried: “Does this mean what I think it means?”
While another quipped: “Ticket sales for women aged 18 to 74 for the James Bond movies just maxed out.”
Sharing their excitement, one female follower noted: “If you’re the next Bond, it’ll be the first Bond film I ever see.”
Eager to make things official, a straight-talking viewer remarked: “Please be 007. Don’t tease us like this. Get that contract signed.”
Seemingly taking Idris’ cheeky post as confirmation, a hopeful Twitter user stated: “It’s happening.”
However, only last month Elba squashed all rumors he’ll play Bond with a firm “no” so this news is confusing.
When asked if he’ll be the next actor to take on the iconic spy role, Elba replied, “No,” he told Good Morning Britain’s reporter, bluntly.
And when further pressed if he prefers a martini shaken or stirred — a reference to the Bond films — the 45-year-old joked, “Stir fried, actually.”
The 46-year-old actor is as British as they come. Born in Hackney in 1972 he started his professional life as a DJ before turning to acting and getting bits parts on TV, including a memorable turn as a gigolo in Absolutely Fabulous. His big break came when he landed a supporting turn on a 2001 episode of Law & Order, which in turn led tohis starring role in the landmark HBO drama series The Wire playing savvy drug kingpin Russell “Stringer” Bell, the role for which he is best known on these shores.
And producer Barbara Broccoli, 58, seemed to be in his corner when she spoke recently about the possibility of the casting of James Bond becoming more diverse, saying, “Anything is possible.”
So what is the truth? I will keep you all posted as updates come in!
