Though Daniel Craig’s still set to make one more film in the role in the upcoming Bond 25, all anyone can talk about right now is who will be the next actor to take on the 007 codename. Recently, interest in the internet’s old favorite fan cast Idris Elba piqued again as it was rumored that EON were thinking of choosing him to replace Craig. That later turned out to be false, but this did nothing to deter people calling for him to play James Bond anyway.
That said, there was also some backlash from those who felt Elba wasn’t the right fit for the part due to his age or, sadly, his skin color. If you want proof that the Luther star is the top choice for the seventh Bond for most people, though, then look no further than the results of this poll held by British cinema chain ODEON. They asked fans to name their choices for 007 and Elba came out on top.
- Idris Elba (26%)
- Tom Hardy (22%)
- Tom Hiddleston (11%)
- Aidan Turner (5%)
- James Norton (5%)
Elba himself has had a curious relationship with rumors of him playing the character. He’d suggested in the past that he’d put the chance of being Bond behind him, but then recently decided to troll fans on his Twitter account by posting things like “the name’s Elba. Idris Elba.” Yes, this could just be the actor having fun, but it does suggest that he’s encouraging people to connect him to the role.
While the recent report might not’ve been true, it’s worth remembering that longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli’s said that “anything’s possible” when it comes to casting the next person to embody the icon, leaving the door open for James Bond to be black, female or even both. With Bond 25 surely occupying EON’s thoughts for the foreseeable future, though, we shouldn’t expect concrete news on the topic for at least a couple of years.