Idris Elba has officially thrown his hat into the ring for a role in the new James Bond franchise, but the British actor feels the lead part is no longer an option. Instead, he is keen on becoming the next iconic villain, a move that would allow him to appear in the films he has loved throughout his life.
New Direction for Bond Casting
Casting has begun with director Denis Villeneuve searching for the next star with a license to thrill. Elba, 53, has been linked to the MI6 hero role for a decade, but insiders say Amazon’s MGM Studios bosses are now looking for a leading man in his thirties. This shift has opened the door for Elba to consider a different path within the 007 universe.
Elba Open to Playing Blofeld
When asked if he would ever be interested in being a Bond villain, Elba responded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I mean 100%. I mean Bond is such an iconic franchise. Why not? You know, like you could do the whole stroking cats [thing],” he said, hinting at the possibility of playing this generation’s Blofeld.
The Luther star also teased that his involvement with Amazon Studios, which has taken control of the spy series, could facilitate his entry into the franchise. “It is the same studio. We are in,” he noted.
Upcoming Role in Masters of the Universe
Elba recently filmed Masters of the Universe for Amazon Studios, playing Man-At-Arms Duncan. He expressed excitement about the role, which reminded him of his childhood and gave him the opportunity to work with director Travis Knight.
“I feel part of it to do with my nostalgia of playing with these toys and being part of something so incredible,” Elba told Fox 11. “Travis is a really big draw for me. I love Travis as a director. I just can’t wait to work with him. And then his perspective on how to pull this to life was right up my street. He didn’t want to make it something else.”
He added: “He wanted to be very, very true to the original IP, to the culture of cartoons and animations and sound and the music and all of that. Obviously he cast me, which I’m a different hue to Duncan, but it wasn’t about that for him. It was about finding that character within the Duncan character that he could bring to life. And I was just really impressed by that.”
Nostalgic Experience on Set
Knight placed toys of the original animated characters in Elba’s dressing room. “They gave us a bunch of toys in our trailers and then I had two different versions. They gave me like the OG Man of Arms and then they gave me the newer one and I was playing with them in my costume and I was like, ‘Yo, this is great.’ It was so surreal. I was comparing moustaches with this one and this one. It was definitely like a dream come true,” he recalled.
