Idris Elba Got Turned Off From Playing James Bond When ‘It Became About Race’: It ‘Made the Whole Thing Disgusting and Off-Putting’

Idris Elba is addressing those James Bond casting rumors and the public’s reaction to them.

Idris Elba has complicated feelings about all those James Bond casting rumours.

next contender to be James Bond — but Idris Elba didn’t feel very suave filming his new Apple TV+ series “Hijack.” “Some camera angles are not sexy, man – especially on a plane,” Elba, 50, told reporters at a Zoom press conference.“Let me tell you, [director] Jim Field Smith has got the camera right up my nozzle. And I’m like ‘Are you sure that’s the angle, bro?'”Elba stars in and executive-produced “Hijack,” a thriller co-created by Field Smith and George Kay (“Lupin”) that tracks a hijacked plane on its seven-hour flight en route from Dubai to London. One of the passengers, Sam Nelson (Elba), is an accomplished corporate negotiator in the business world, and tries to step up and use his smarts to save his fellow passengers. Archie Panjabi, no stranger to plane mystery shows, co-stars as Zahra Gahfoor, a counter-terrorism officer on the ground.Elba, who said that he’s 6-foot-3, was interested in exploring new territory for this role. “I’m sure it’s all subjective [and] I’m sure I’m not good looking to everyone, but … with my size and shape, all my life, it’s been like ‘Oh, you’re a big lad,'” he said. “And I’ve taken roles that feed into that.

Idris Elba may jump into action in the new TV series “Hijack”, but in real life, that wouldn’t be the case.

James Bond.The British actor, 50, has been a fan-favorite choice to play the super spy in recent years.However, due to the racial recoil he’s received about the possible role, Elba’s speculative casting has left a bad taste in his mouth.The “Luther” actor recently sat down with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes for an episode of their “SmartLess” podcast, where he said he was “super complimented” by the Bond rumors.But the prejudiced backlash got to him.“I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ Because James Bond… We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted [roles],” Elba explained.

Idris Elba is stepping out for the world premiere of his new Apple TV+ series!

Idris Elba has been one of the recurring names that fans suggest when the topic of James Bond comes up. Following Daniel Craig’s final bow as the British secret agent in No Time To Die, Elba had been keen on potentially taking over the role.

Idris Elba has said he’s been put off from playing James Bond after responses to his potential casting “became about race”.The actor, known for starring in Luther and The Wire, has often been mentioned as a favourite to take over from Daniel Craig in the role of 007.Speaking on the SmartLess podcast (via The Telegraph) with hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, Elba explained that any interest in playing the character was soured due to some of the “disgusting” reactions to the rumours.“The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said. “James Bond… it’s one of those coveted [roles].“Being asked to be James Bond was like ‘OK, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle’.

Idris Elba knows a thing or two about flying.

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Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic It’s been more than 20 years since “24” first aired on Fox; its real-time conceit, with a relentless ticking clock moving characters toward collision, made it the kind of hit that’s difficult to duplicate. “Hijack,” a new drama on Apple TV+, doesn’t precisely aim for the sort of thrills and chills “24” generated, but it is indeed another real-time drama about a terrorist plot. Unfortunately, the central device doesn’t quite work, and “Hijack” ends up feeling like a flight to nowhere in particular. Here, Idris Elba plays Sam Nelson, a corporate type who finds himself at the center of international drama when his return flight from Dubai to London on the fictional Kingdom Air gets taken over by a group of armed criminals. They eventually gain control of the cockpit through blackmailing the pilot, proving their craftiness and the extent of their preparation; it falls to Sam to play quick-thinking action hero.

Lorraine Kelly made a blunder on Tuesday morning during an interview with Idris Elba - where she had to apologise to the actor.

K.J. Yossman Idris Elba’s new Apple TV+ series “Hijack” sees him star as Sam Nelson, a top corporate negotiator who finds himself in the eye of a storm when the plane he is flying on is hijacked by a gang of ruthless criminals. Elba also exec produces the show, which launches on June 28, under his Green Door production banner. The project is a result of the actor’s first-look deal with Apple, which was announced in 2020. Sitting down with Variety in London ahead of the show’s launch, Elba said the deal has since expired but he’s already in talks to work with streamer again – including a potential return outing as Nelson. “I love Apple and we love each other and I think we’re gonna work together again, but we’re just not currently in a set up as official,” Elba says. “It’s nice having a production deal but there’s restrictions. And I feel like my career as an actor has been so random and different — why change now?”

“First-look deals are a lot of kicking tires,” Idris Elba said today, as he revealed his high-profile partnership with Apple TV+ has run down following the launch of psychological thriller Hijack.

Idris Elba, Olivia Colman, Woody Harrelson Lead King Charles III Environmental Short

Casino Royale director Martin Campbell has revealed that Henry Cavill could have been an “excellent” James Bond “if Daniel [Craig] didn’t exist”.Speaking to Express UK, Campbell, who led the Craig-starring James Bond reboot with Casino Royale, revealed that Cavill – now most famous for playing Superman and Geralt in The Witcher – had auditioned for the 007 franchise but was “a little young at the time”. For context, the reboot’s auditions were held 18 years ago, when Cavill was just 22-years-old.Campbell said of Henry Cavill’s audition: “He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous.

K.J. Yossman Idris Elba, Olivia Colman, Woody Harrelson have banded together to help King Charles launch a new YouTube channel dedicated to the environment. RE:TV is the new platform for showcasing “sustainable solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis,” according to the King. It is the digital extension of his non-profit, also called RE:TV, which he founded in 2020. The org has made over 100 short films about innovative environmental projects worldwide, which have previously been launched on platforms including Bloomberg and Waterbear. Now, with its own YouTube channel, RE:TV will be able to debut its content directly online.

Casino Royale director Martin Campbell believes that Superman star Henry Cavill had a good audition, but wasn’t the perfect fit when producers were looking for a new James Bond.

Daniel Craig famously portrayed the role of James Bond, aka 007, in the last few James Bond movies.

Croydon for an overnight shoot for new Amazon film Heads of State. Filming is also understood to have taken place at Overton’s Yard next to the Surrey Street Market car park while extras gathered at Fairfield Halls. Businesses in St George’s Walk closed their doors at 7pm for the work to start and filming is believed to have gone on until the early hours of Wednesday morning (June 21).