James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has talked about the search for the next 007 – and if discussions have taken place with Idris Elba about the role.
Daniel Craig gave up the license to kill in last year's No Time to Die, which was his fifth outing as 007. For years, speculation has been rife about who could take over when Craig left the role, with names like Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy, and Elba frequently tossed into the ring.
"We know Idris, I'm friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor," Broccoli told The Deadline Podcast, when asked if talks had happened with the actor. "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."
She continued: "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 going to think about, or talk about, anybody else, actors to play the role, or storylines, or anything really. We just want to live in the moment, present."
Broccoli has said before that the dust needs to settle on Craig's Bond before moving on to who might come next. "We want Daniel [Craig] to have his time of celebration. Next year we'll start thinking about the future," she said back in 2021 – which means the search for a new 007 could kick off this year.
At the moment, it's anyone's guess who could next be sipping that martini. Our own list of candidates for the next James Bond includes actors like Dev Patel, Regé-Jean Page, Richard Madden, and John Boyega – though Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland recently told Total Film that he pitched a young Bond project to Sony… which then became the Uncharted movie.
While we wait for the next 007, check out our ultimate ranking of the best James Bond movies to catch up on the franchise.
