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Idris Elba dismisses 'James Bond' rumors: 'I'm good, I've got Luther'

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 4/14/21

Idris Elba most recently starred in Netflix film Concrete Cowboy, but the Golden Globe-winning actor already has his eyes set on what's next.

Elba stopped by Capital XTRA to chop it up with Robert Bruce, who begged him to give fans some sort of insight into the ongoing rumors that Elba will be the next James Bond and speculation over a Luther full-length movie:

it sounds like a Luther movie is well under way, but @idriselba's mum is still holding out hope for that Bond role

cc: @RobBruceK @wavyboysmith pic.twitter.com/wqZerozc8T
— Capital XTRA (@CapitalXTRA) April 13, 2021

"Listen, a Luther film is definitely coming," the 48-year-old said. "I'm very excited about that. For the fans that have watched five seasons of Luther, I owe it to them to take it to the next level. And that's where a film comes in. And I know the rumors about Bond have always chased me—listen, my mum, my poor mom, she's like, 'One day you're going to get it! Don't mind them! Don't mind them!' I'm like, 'Mum, it's alright. I'm good. I've got Luther."

Elba also foreshadowed a song he will soon release that he thinks "will be the biggest tune of the summer" and is equally excited for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, in which he plays Bloodsport, to hit theaters in August.

Elba previously addressed racially charged comments about his potential casting as 007 for his August 2019 Vanity Fair cover story:

.@IdrisElba tells @VanityFair he’s “disheartened” in how race has factored into the conversation around him playing James Bond:

“If I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself in.” pic.twitter.com/GUdEhgr0ge
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 28, 2019

Luther, meanwhile, saw Elba as the titular character for the series' five-season run on BBC One. The role of detective chief inspector John Luther earned Elba his Golden Globe (best performance by an actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television) in 2012. The Neil Cross creation aired its five seasons at a staggered pace in 2010, '11, '13, '15 and '19.