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Idris Elba As James Bond? That'd Be Change We Could Believe In

Posted by Jake Kalish

So the internets and their various blogospheres been overloaded with folks saying it's about time for an African-American James Bond. Agreed. And after all this chatter, and some Jamie Foxx speculation (blah) the top two candidates have emerged:

1. Idris Elba, the former Stringer Bell, a Brit who would be likely be an amazing Bond and who shared his thoughts on playing 007 with The Guardian UK; and

2. A man who could singlehandedly take down the entire James Bond franchise...

Diddy wants it. And he reportedly blew 750 grand on his 007 audition tape. Oh, Dammit, Puffy, you dancing fool. Now, Sean Combs is actually not a half-bad actor - he was pretty good in Monster's Ball, and his role on Broadway in A Raisin In The Sun was generally well-received. But he's no Idris Elba. And he's definitely no James Bond. Unless James Bond is now sampling entire Police songs and dancing around in a white suit.

Idris Elba, on the other hand, would be perfect. Here's what he had to say:

Who wouldn't like to play Bond? Do I think it will happen? No, but I've got what it takes to do it. I can run around, flirt with ladies and drink. Plus I'm English.

Well, Idris, if that were all it took, then Rod Stewart could be James Bond. But yes, you've got what it takes.

PREVIOUSLY:

Jennifer Aniston Wants To Be A Bond Girl

Are The Writers of "The Office" Obsessed With "The Wire"?

Idris Elba Joins The Office

Britain, Still Reeling From The Revolutionary War, Ranks American Television Shows

"The Wire": David Simon's Original Pitch To HBO

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Posted May 06 2009, 10:33 AM

Filed under: The Wire, The Office, James Bond, Idris Elba

Comments

Wendell said:

Actually, Diddy was roundly denounced by critics and audiences as the lead in Raisin.

May 6, 2009 11:40 PM

Jake Kalish said:

The ones I read said he was okay, but the rest of the cast was better:

Los Angeles Times:

Combs does a fair enough job hitting his marks, and he has successfully made himself into a working-class man of the middle 20th century; there is no trace of his own fabulous life in his portrayal of Walter Lee, but there are no overtones in his performance, no intermediate shades — it's all primary colors. It's impossible not to notice that he works at a lower skill level than his costars, who support but also eclipse him.

New York Times:

There are no mediocre performances here. Ms. Lathan is terrific at conveying the snobbery that comes from cultural self-loathing. Beneatha doesn't simply want better things; she wants to be part of a world of bigger and better ideas. Walter, a chauffeur to a wealthy white businessman, wants to live well and be seen. That Mr. Combs makes his desires seem like more than empty materialism must come in some part from the fact that he has been hungry at the same table.

Variety:

Marquee lure Combs was considered the weak link on stage. But while he may lack the experience and technique to project to the second balcony, he's more satisfactory — a tad facially inexpressive, but otherwise hitting the right notes — under the camera's intimate gaze. Other thesps, particularly the laureled three female leads and charming Oyelowo, are terrific.

May 7, 2009 12:31 PM

About Jake Kalish

Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights https://www.amazon.com/Santa-vs-Satan-Compendium-Imaginary/dp/0307406709/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208807460&sr=8-1

about the blogger

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Lindy Parker has worked as a ghostwriter, editor, dance instructor and a purveyor of dreams, one beer at a time. She loves Charles Dickens and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and also, straight-to-video releases with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It's possible she reads more teen fiction than she should. She hails from Los Angeles, her hometown and soul mate, but she lives in Brooklyn, the fling she'll never forget.

Olivia Purnell left Ohio for sunny Los Angeles; then found that she couldn’t ignore New York City’s call, and brought herself to Brooklyn where she has worked with GenArt, BlackBook, the School of American Ballet, and finished an M.A. in Creative Writing from N.Y.U. She loves one-liners with sting and hates the stench of the subway in the summer. That said, she can’t get enough of either.

Jake Kalish is a freelance journalist and humorist whose work has appeared in Details, Maxim, Stuff, New York Press, Spin, Blender, Men's Fitness, Poets and Writers, and Playboy, among other publications. He is also the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights.

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Ben Kallen is an entertainment, health and humor writer who's been lectured to by Sidney Poitier, argued with by Lea Thompson and smiled at by Jennifer Connelly. He's the coauthor of The No S Diet and author of The Year in Weird, along with hundreds of magazine articles. He lives near the beach in Los Angeles, just like the gang from Three's Company.

Nicole Ankowski has lived in Ohio, Oakland, and on the high plains of South Dakota, but is now proud to call Brooklyn home. She wrote for alternative weekly papers in the first two states, and tried to learn Lakota in the last. (The vowels can be tricky.) She just earned her MFA in Creative Writing and has been published in Beeswax literary journal. She is unable to resist good writing or bad TV.

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