However, with the release of his new movie Luther: The Fallen Sun, it appears he’s finally put the rumours to rest by addressing the truth – or lack thereof – behind the speculation.
Given Daniel Craig, 55, took his final bow as 007 in the 2021 movie No Time To Die, people across the globe are desperate to know who will play the world-famous spy next.
In a new interview, Idris, 50, admitted that he’s ‘very close’ to the producers of the franchise.
According to Deadline, a scene in Luther the movie that sees the lead character John Luther reject the offer of a martini was an intentional nod to the theories about the actor being cast.
Speaking to The Guardian, Idris expressed how much he ‘loves’ the Bond movies, adding that he and the producers of the 007 films were ‘laughing about the rumours because they are just that’ when people thought that he could be Daniel’s successor.
When asked how close he came to ever actually bagging the role, he said: ‘No, nowhere,’ although he cryptically stated that he wasn’t going to say if there were discussions about the possibility.
Shaking his head at the notion of there being ‘discussions’, Idris added: ‘I can’t speak for them, but from my perspective, there’s never been any sort of truth to any of it.’
Nonetheless, he described being linked to the part as ‘a compliment’ and ‘an honour’, stressing that ‘it’s not a truth’.
Comparing Luther to other action-packed franchises such as James Bond, Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible movies and Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, Idris said that the aforementioned characters are ‘solitary figures that go off and have conviction and style and grace, take out the bad guy’.
Luther, on the other hand, has ‘a sort of grounded relatability’, he noted, expressing his desire to take his own franchise ‘further and deeper’.
Idris first played the role of Luther in 2010, starring as the character across five seasons until the finale in 2019.
He reprised the role in his new movie opposite Andy Serkis as villainous tech billionaire David Robey and Cynthia Erivo as detective Odette Raine.
Luther: The Fallen Sun is out now in selected cinemas and on Netflix from March 10.
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