The ‘Luther’ actor has been tipped to take over from Daniel Craig as the suave spy but he insists he doesn’t want to be “defined” by any particular role and thinks the 007 franchise could be overwhelming.
He said: “Bond is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and for that reason, whoever ends up playing it, lives it. You’re THAT character and known as that character for many, many years. I’m creating characters now that can still live alongside Idris. Not ones that take over me and solely define me.”
The 46-year-old actor further fuelled Bond speculation at this year’s Golden Globe Awards when he and Daniel posed for a photo together, but he insists they had no idea the “spur-of-the-moment” picture would cause such a sensation.
Asked if he was sending a message with the photo, he told Event magazine: “Nah, we just did it on the spur of the moment, thought it would be a laugh. It was a selfie. Didn’trealizee it would be the picture of the year.”
While Idris may not want to head up the James Bond franchise, he’d love to do more to explore Brixton Lore, the character he will play in upcoming ‘Fast and Furious’ spin-off ‘Hobbs and Shaw’. He described the villain as an “ex-MI6 agent, international, cybergenetically enhanced terrorist leader and a criminal mastermind”.