Idris Elba the Next James Bond? You Can Bet on It

With a new and sooner release day for the last Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, fans of the franchise have been wondering who is going to be the next British actor for the famous role. In fact, the chances have never been higher for the Luther star, Idris Elba, to follow in the footsteps of acting legends such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and, most recently, Daniel Craig.

Unsurprisingly, the odds for Elba starring as the new James Bond are as high as 10/1, according to Ladbrokes traders, making this news more exciting for both fans of the franchise and Idris Elba. Interestingly, Elba has publicly spoken about the possibility of playing the next Bond, but he has never sought the role. What he did talk about was that the chance of becoming the first black James Bond was fascinating for him. 

Having been in the running for the role for quite some time, it comes as no surprise that odds at  top betting exchange sites are increasing on Elba starring as the new James Bond after Craig’s departure. Craig officially announced he would be leaving the Bond franchise in November 2019.

Until we receive some confirmation from either Idris Elba or creators of Bond, we have other things to look forward to. Elba hinted that he would like to reprise his role as Luther on the big screen as he thinks the character deserves it. However, there hasn’t been any official confirmation of Luther hitting the big screen yet.

Aside from Elba, actors Cillian Murphy, Michael Fassbender, and Aidan Turner have been given high odds as well, while Grantchester’s James Norton is just below Elba with 2/1 odds of becoming the eighth James Bond.

Another strong contender is Outlander’s Sam Heughan, who previously auditioned for the role and shared his experience with Bond fans. He said something any British actor would confirm: “Of course, it would be a dream role [to play James Bond].”

For now, we are waiting for the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, to, hopefully, hit the theaters in November. The highly anticipated movie will take place five years after the events from Spectre.

The screenplay has been written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Fukunaga, and a fan favorite, Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Cary Joji Fukunaga has directed the movie, and Léa Seydoux, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Christoph Waltz, Jeffrey Wright, and Ralph Fiennes will reprise their previous roles. Many fans are excited to see Rami Malek star as Bond’s rival after his Oscar-winning performance as Freddie Mercury in the 2018 box-office hit Bohemian Rhapsody. 

After the release was postponed in April, the next official premiere date has been set for November 12 in the United Kingdom and November 20 in the US.

Until the premiere, there’s still time to make a bet and try to guess whether Elba will be the next James Bond, graciously sipping a shaken, not stirred, vodka martini in an elegant tux, while defending the world from notorious villains.

Who would you like to see as the next Bond?