James Bond author says Idris Elba is 'too street' to play 007
The rumor mill has been churning for months now with speculation that Idris Elba will be the next James Bond. But that theory isn't sitting well with some, including the current 007 author. Anthony Horowitz, who took over the job of writing the James Bond novels from the Ian Fleming estate, is none too pleased that Elba is being considered, although he claims it isn't "a color issue."
"I think he is probably too street for Bond," Horowitz told The Daily Mail. "Is it a question of being suave? Yeah."
Horowitz added that while Elba is "a terrific actor," he can think of other black actors who could better play the role, and suggested Adrian Lester.
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Last December, Rush Limbaugh also weighed in, saying James Bond ought to be "white and Scottish."
Elba, for his part, has in the past been reluctant to praise the history-making implications of his potential casting. "I just don't want to be the black James Bond," Elba told NPR in 2011. "Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond."
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