Idris Elba was one of many people’s favorites to become the next James Bond back in 2015. However, Elba now has his own ideas on who the next James Bond should be.
Elba spoke with Variety about the changes he would like to see to James Bond.
Take a listen:
The Thor: Ragnarok actor says, “There’s no such thing as a black Bond. Are we interested in having a Bond character other than a male? It could be a woman, could be a black woman, could be a white woman. That character everybody would like to have, you know. Do something different with it. Why not?”
Yohana Desta at Vanity Fair loved the idea saying, “Elba is right that the character—one of the most hallowed acting roles in the U.K.—is due for a 21st century overhaul.” She adds, “a female Bond would be nice and long overdue.” Elba isn’t alone in his take Barbara Broccoli who produces the James Bond films said, “These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit. Anything is possible.”
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Unfortunately, both Elba and Broccoli’s takes are more of the same. It’s what Marvel Comics has been doing for the past few years. They’ve taken their flagship characters and either race-changed them or gender-swapped them. In some cases they did both with their new Iron Man look-alike RiRi Williams. They turned Jane Foster into Thor. They gave Sam Wilson, who used to be Falcon, the title of Captain America while turning Steve Rogers into an agent of Hydra. They also revealed that Iceman was now gay.
All of these changes have been absolutely abysmal for Marvel Comics. Fans have rejected these stories en masse. In fact, Marvel recently canceled their Iceman book by Sina Grace. There is also a current story line to remove Jane Foster as Thor. And the last we saw of RiRi Williams was in Marvel Legacy #1, that was back in September.
James Bond does not need to be something different. He’s a massively successful character who has stood the test of time. There is absolutely no reason why Eon Productions should do anything to change a winning formula. In fact, the most recent James Bond film, Spectre, made $880 million worldwide and is the second grossing James Bond of all time behind Skyfall. Both films starred Daniel Craig as James Bond.
Daniel Craig will star in the 25th James Bond movie which is expected to hit theaters on November 8, 2019.