Idris Elba has barred himself from playing James Bond so he can focus on his deal with Netflix, where he is starring in Luther: The Fallen Sun.
The 50-year-old actor brought up the intractable discussions over his takeover as a famous British spy from Ian Fleming on Tuesday.
When asked about his upcoming film at the World Government Summit in Dubai, he said, “It’s very dark.
“We’ve been working on the television series for about 10 years so bringing it to the big screen is our natural ambition and so here we are with the first film.
“You know, a lot of people talk about another character that starts with J and ends with B, but I’m not going to be that guy.
Too bad: Idris Elba has ruled himself out from playing James Bond so he can focus on his deal with Netflix, where he stars in Luther: The Fallen Sun (pictured Tuesday).
“I will be John Luther. It’s me.’
Luther: The Fallen Sun is slated to hit select theaters on February 24, followed by a March 10 Netflix release.
It is the sequel to the British television series of the same name (2010-2019), which ended up running for five seasons.
Netflix also shared brand new pictures of Elba, once again as DCI John Luther, who was last sent to prison in the BBC series’ dramatic finale.
The action-packed teaser begins with Luther fighting with fellow prisoners before breaking out.
Once he’s free and back in town, it seems a woman needs his help to get revenge on someone after she’s done something nasty to her son.
His character is then heard saying, “I have to stop this man, I’m still a cop,” before the armed forces tell him that if he doesn’t step down, they will “shoot him.”
The film’s villain is then heard to say, “John, I looked you straight in the eye because I was curious and wanted to know if you would see it in me. Because that’s you, the man who knows all about people like me.”
Not for me: The 50-year-old actor brought up the ongoing discussions about his takeover as Ian Fleming’s famous British spy on Tuesday (Daniel Craig is pictured in the role).
Tense scenes then show Luther with a bloody face after the fight, saying, “He wants the world to think the bad dream has come true.”
Viewers then see Luther fight the villain in a London underground station before being retrained by armed officers.
It ends with a close-up of Luther saying, “Let the nightmare come, for I am ready”.
It was reported back in August that Idris had put “years of discussions” behind with movie bosses to take on the famous role.
Action-packed: Luther: The Fallen Sun is slated to hit select theaters on February 24, followed by a March 10 Netflix release
He was the bookies’ favorite to replace Daniel Craig as super spy but would like to take on other roles – and even provided producer Barbara Broccoli with a list of suggested actor names for 007.
A source told The Sun: “Fans and Barbara wanted Idris but he wants to create something for himself.
“However, he suggested names to play 007.
At the time, Web contacted representatives of Idris and James Bond producers.
At the premiere of his film The Harder They Fall in 2021, when asked if he would be considered the next 007, Idris said, “No, I won’t be James Bond.”
He also told The Express about the rumours: “I’m probably the most famous Bond actor in the world and I haven’t even played the part.”
Idris then added: “Enough is enough. I can’t talk about it anymore.’
‘He’s been in talks for so long’: It was reported back in August that Idris had said goodbye to ‘years of talks’ with movie bosses to take on the famous role (pictured in 2022).