The 51-year-old actor has long been linked to taking over the role from Daniel Craig – who bowed out of the franchise after 2021’s ‘No Time To Die’ – but he insisted the speculation was only ever a rumour, though he was flattered to be associated with one of cinema’s most iconic roles.

'More famous for not playing Bond': Idris Elba laughs off long-running 007 speculation

Idris Elba joked he’s “more famous for not playing James Bond” than past actors who have had the role.

Asked about the speculation on ‘The Chris Moyles Show’ on Radio X on Thursday (18.04.24), he said: “I have several times, several sort of half-a-million times.

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“No, it was definitely one of the biggest rumours. I’m arguably more famous for not playing Bond than some of the actors who did!

“And you know, it’s been one that I’ve taken lightly at times. You know, everyone loves Bond. Such a fantastic character, and just to me, I found it as a compliment to be considered all those years ago.”

The ‘Luther’ star insisted he’s too “ancient” to take on the role now, in the unlikely event it was offered to him.

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When Chris said the idea of Idris as Bond was “not dead”, his guest replied: “Well, I mean yeah it is. The rumour has definitely done. And I mean, I’m ancient now. I don’t know what kind of Bond I’d be.”

And with Aaron Taylor-Johnson most recently tipped to be the next 007, Idris wouldn’t be interested in joining him in a movie as the film’s villain as he’s had his fill of action franchises.

Asked about the possibility of being a Bond villain, he said: “Well, I think probably, if I’m really honest, I did the ‘Luther’ movie. And my instinct about doing the movie version verses the TV, is to take it bigger. Bigger, bigger landscapes and maybe fill that void.”

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The ‘Pacific Rim’ actor previously accused racist trolls of putting him off wanting to play Bond.

He told the ‘SmartLess’ podcast: “Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered.

“Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it.”