The Wire star Idris Elba mooted as first black Bond

Bond blogs are abuzz with the idea that the British actor, currently starring alongside Beyonce in Obsessed, should be next to play 007

FIRST POSTED MAY 5, 2009

British actor Idris Elba, who plays the suave Baltimore drug dealer Stringer Bell in The Wire, is being mooted as the first black Bond. Already riding high after his new film Obsessed topped the US box office last month - it's a Fatal Attraction-style thriller which co-stars Beyonce - the Hackney-born actor has been tipped by critics and bloggers as a future Bond.

The idea began with a discussion on CNN, Elba told the Guardian. "[They were] saying that if there's a black president in the White House we now need a black Bond. And then the idea just spread like a virus. People kept coming up with ideas as to who should play the role, and then people in the blogosphere said what about Idris Elba?"

The current Bond, Daniel Craig, has also said that the world is ready for a black Bond. "After Barack Obama's victory I think we might have reached the moment for a coloured 007," Craig - the first blond Bond - told Italian news agency Agi at the Rome premiere of Quantum of Solace last

November. "I think the role could easily be played by a black actor, because the character created by Ian Fleming in the 50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated."

The fact that Elba is not a well-known actor like Will Smith or Jamie Foxx makes him a good choice for the role: most Bonds are not household names before they get their break as 007.

However, Elba has an American rival for the role - music mogul-turned-actor Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Late last year, P Diddy announced that the ad campaign for his new fragrance was also an "audition tape for the next James Bond". Looking sophisticated in a tuxedo and lounging in a silk gown on a yacht, Diddy told Bond producers: "I feel like I am best suited to be the next James Bond. I've been out there getting my hustle on in Hollywood - I just landed a role on CSI: Miami. We have a black president and it's time for there to be a black Bond."

Does Elba fancy playing the legendary agent? "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."