People.com Entertainment Movies Idris Elba Is 'Part of the Conversation' for Next James Bond, Producer Says: 'He's a Magnificent Actor' Daniel Craig's final movie as James Bond was last year's No Time to Die By Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose Twitter Benjamin VanHoose is an Associate Editor on the Movies team at PEOPLE. He's worked at PEOPLE for over three years as a writer and reporter across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial to the Oscars. He regularly covers red carpet events and has interviewed stars like Drew Barrymore, Ryan Reynolds and Kirsten Dunst. He previously worked as a copy editor at Topix Media Lab. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 24, 2022 12:54 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty The James Bond franchise producers are aware of Idris Elba when it comes to the conversation of who will next play 007. On Deadline's Crew Call podcast last week, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson discussed Daniel Craig's last outing as the famous spy in last year's No Time to Die. When asked if they've considered Elba, 49, to become the next Bond, Broccoli maintained they haven't fully begun the process yet. "Well, we know Idris, I'm friends with him and he's a magnificent actor," said Broccoli. "You know, it's been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat. I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has kind of had its run and Daniel has been able to, well, we've all been able to, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about or talk about anybody else, actors to play the role or storylines or anything. We just wanna live in the moment, the present." Elba's name has been bounced around as a future Bond for years now, including in 2014 when an email leaked from Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal revealed her feeling that "Idris should be the next Bond." James Bond Producer Would 'Love' a Female Director for Next Movie in the Franchise MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Suicide Squad actor has previously addressed fan rumors that he could become the first Black James Bond, saying he was disappointed by reactions from some who refused to see him as the fictional character. "You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, 'It can't be.' And it really turns out to be the color of my skin," Elba told Vanity Fair in 2019 in response to the backlash. "And then 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 into when I don't need to." He added at the time, "James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey. Of course if someone said to me, 'Do you want to play James Bond?' I'd be like, 'Yeah!' That's fascinating to me. But it's not something I've expressed, like, 'Yeah, I wanna be the Black James Bond.' Because, by the way, we're talking about a spy. If you really want to break it down, the more less-obvious it is, the better."