Moviefone Editorial

Tag: idris-elba

  • Idris Elba and Jessica Chastain Respond to James Bond Comments

    Yesterday, the Internet grabbed torches and pitchforks over new 007 author Anthony Horowitz’s comments about Idris Elba as a potential James Bond. In particular, his opinion that Elba was “a bit too ‘street’ for Bond” rubbed many fans the wrong way. The author apologized and clarified what he was asked in the interview and intended with his response.

    The actor himself was quiet for most of the day, while his name trended on Twitter, but he eventually shared a screen shot of Moviefone’s article, with his own positive (but cheeky) response:


    Good for him for staying positive — especially since, after the outpouring of fan support, he probably has an even stronger chance of being cast as Bond. Maybe he wasn’t sure how people felt about the idea before, but the verdict is now in: He can shake and stir us anytime.

    One fan not only wants Idris Elba as Bond, she wants to play his Bond villain, and that fan is the one and only Jessica Chastain:


    Perfect. Done and done. Whenever Daniel Craig retires, the next group’s casting is already complete. (Side note: Remember all the complaints about “rough,” “gritty,” “ugly” Daniel Craig when he was cast as the first “blond Bond”? He wasn’t considered suave enough either, at first.)

    How do you feel about Idris Elba as a future Bond, and Jessica Chastain as a Bond villain?

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  • 007 Writer Says Idris Elba Is ‘Too Street’ to Play James Bond, Quickly Apologizes

    87th Annual Academy Awards - Press RoomBritish novelist Anthony Horowitz is the latest writer to take a crack at the James Bond franchise, and will publish his first 007 novel, “Trigger Mortis,” next week. Unfortunately for Horowitz, that accomplishment has been overshadowed by some inflammatory comments that the author made in reference to actor Idris Elba.

    In an interview with The Daily Mail that went live over the weekend, Horowitz was asked about the long-running rumor that Elba will take over the Bond franchise from current star Daniel Craig once Craig finishes his five-film contract. In the wide-ranging interview, Horowitz made it known that he had some strong opinions about Bond’s big screen exploits, and that included criticizing the popular choice to replace Craig.

    “Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better,” Horowitz told The Daily Mail, citing actor Adrian Lester as his top pick. “For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”

    That last bit may be especially puzzling to anyone who’s ever seen Elba act (or look gorgeous in a tux, like in the above photo), but what really ground the internet’s gears was the implied racism of Horowitz’s remarks, specifically the use of the term “street.” Popular opinion was unkind to the author, forcing him to apologize for and clarify his remarks in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

    “I’m really sorry my comments about Idris Elba have caused offence. That wasn’t my intention,” Horowitz’s tweeted statement said. “I was asked in my interview if Idris Elba would make a good James Bond. In the article, I expressed the opinion that to my mind Adrian Lester would be a better choice but I’m a writer not a casting director so what do I know? Clumsily, I chose the word ‘street’ as Elba’s gritty portrayal of DCI John Luther was in my mind but I admit it was a poor choice of word. I am mortified to have caused offence.”

    No word from Elba, though Marvel had this perfect response to the controversy:


    [via: The Daily Mail, Anthony Horowitz, h/t The A.V. Club]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

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  • 4 Reasons Idris Elba Should Be the Next James Bond

    Idris Elba

    When Idris Elba played the god Heimdall in “Thor” in 2011, fan boys cried foul that a black actor was cast to portray a white Norse mythological figure.

    They got over it.

    Elba reprised the role in the sequel two years later and also in this summer’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” All three films were box office hits.

    Now, much hullabaloo is being made of Elba as a possible James Bond successor. And the narrative seems to be the same.

    We disagree. Here are our four reasons why Elba is the best actor to take the baton from Daniel Craig’s Bond.

    1. He’s an adrenal junkie.
    Much like Bond, Elba is a speed demon with a penchant for fast cars and thrilling chases. In fact, he puts his skills behind the wheel to the test on his own BBC America show “Idris Elba: King of Speed,” a docu-program that sees the Brit star mastering all forms of motoring and high speed driving.

    2. He’s dapper in suit.

    Idris Elba
    Idris Elba

    It’s undeniable that Elba is red carpet eye candy and looks dashing in designer threads. In fact, GQ named him one of 2015’s Best Dressed British men.

    3. He’s every girl’s crush and every man’s man-crush.
    To be an authentic Bond, men must want to be like him and ladies must want to be with him. You get both in Elba, ranked No. 2 in 2013’s People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue, and in September he made history as the only male to ever grace the cover of Maxim.

    4. He’s a lover and a fighter.

    Elba fights crime as a detective on the drama “Luther,” of which he won the 2012 Golden Globe Best Actor – Mini-series award.

  • Idris Elba ‘Too Street’ to Play James Bond, Says 007 Author

    idris

    For months, the Internet’s been shaking and stirring over the possibility of Idris Elba becoming the first black James Bond on film.

    But the author who’s taken over the 007 book series for the late Ian Fleming doesn’t see it.

    “For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part,” Anthony Horowitz, whose upcoming “Trigger Mortis” is the next Bond book, tells the Daily Mail. “It’s not a color issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”

    With Daniel Craig suggesting he may hang up his Walther PPK soon, social media has been buzzing over Elba as a successor, the speculation reaching a peak last December with the release of a hacked Sony email from then-studio co-chair Amy Pascal to a Columbia Pictures exec saying, “Idris should be the next bond.” Columbia distributes the Bond movies.

    Radio host Rush Limbaugh intensified the debate by suggesting that “The Wire” star, as a black actor, couldn’t play the role.

    “James Bond is a total concept put together by Ian Fleming. He was white and Scottish. Period. That is who James Bond is, was,” Limbaugh said in December. “But now [they are] suggesting that the next James Bond should be Idris Elba, a black Briton, rather than a white from Scotland. But that’s not who James Bond is.”

    Horowitz says that his opposition to Elba, however, has nothing to do with race. “Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better,” he says, suggesting Adrian Lester, star of the British TV drama “Hustle.”

    His comments generated outrage, prompting Horowitz to issue an apology on Twitter.

    Actually, there already is a black actor playing James Bond — or least lending his voice. “Selma” star David Oyelowo has been tapped to play the dapper secret agent in an audiobook.

     

     

  • Idris Elba Is Out for Blood in Intense First Trailer for Netflix’s ‘Beasts of No Nation’

    Beasts of No NationWar does not spare the young, as the first teaser trailer for Netflix’s “Beasts of No Nation” so tragically shows.

    The feature film comes from director Cary Fukunaga (“True Detective”) and is based on the novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala. It tells the story of a young boy named Agu (Abraham Attah) who’s torn from his family to become a child soldier in an unnamed African country. He’s taught to fight — and kill — by the Commandant (Idris Elba).

    Watch the trailer.

    The trailer is dark and intense and heart-wrenching, as the Commandant’s soldiers overtake an enemy group. He urges Agu to kill one of the men, who is responsible for the deaths of Agu’s family, but the young boy hesitates. This is the point of no return.

    Even based on just this minute and half of footage, “Beasts of No Nation” looks thrilling and gritty and troubling — and after his work on “True Detective,” we’re eager to see more of what Fukunaga can do.

    “Beasts of No Nation” will debut simultaneously on Netflix and in select Landmark theaters October 16. That means it will be eligible for the Academy Awards.

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  • Idris Elba Sets Emotions High in ‘Beasts of No Nation’

    Beasts of No Nation
    Idris Elba in “Beasts of No Nation”

    In an emotional scene from “Beasts of No Nation,” an African child soldier is instructed to kill a captured man supposedly responsible for the murder of his family.

    Set amid a civil war in an unidentified African country, Idris Elba plays a warlord who takes the orphaned youngster, played by Abraham Attah, as his protégé.

    The Netflix original film’s trailer was released Thursday ahead of its Oct. 16 debut on the streaming services and simultaneous roll out at select Landmark Theatres in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Indianapolis, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego.

    The drama is based on Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel of the same name and will debut at the Venice Film Festival and will be featured at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    Watch the trailer below.

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  • Will Damian Lewis Be the Next James Bond?

    'Romeo And Juliet' Premiere - The 8th Rome Film FestivalAre our dreams of Idris Elba as the next James Bond shattered?

    Maybe so, according to British bookmaker William Hill, which dramatically pushed up former “Homeland” star Damian Lewis on the list of potential new Bonds. As the Hollywood Reporter notes, Lewis’s odds are at 3-1, close to favorite Elba’s 5-2. That puts the “Band of Brothers” actor ahead of Tom Hardy (4-1), Henry Cavill (5-1), and Michael Fassbender (7-1).

    The change in odds for Lewis comes out of nowhere, but then again, speculating on the next Bond is one of British movie fans’ favorite pastimes. Elba’s name has been in the mix for years — despite the fact that Daniel Craig is signed on for one more movie after this year’s “Spectre.”

    If Lewis did win the role, he’d be the first ginger Bond in the franchise, which the actor joked about a couple of years ago, saying that the Scottish heritage outlined in “Skyfall” paved the way perfectly for a red-headed Bond.”

    Still, we’re years out from needing a new Bond, and it seems counterintuitive that the producers would replace Craig, 47, with someone nearly his own age (Lewis is 44, Elba is 42). After Craig’s run, wouldn’t it be a better move to freshen up the franchise with a younger face?

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  • Idris Elba in Talks to Be the ‘Star Trek 3’ Villain

    BRITAIN-ENTERTAINMENT-CINEMA-THE GUNMANThe buzz around Hollywood is that Idris Elba is in the running to be the main villain in “Star Trek 3.” Variety reports that the “Luther” star is in “early talks” for the role, although there’s no more info on what the role will be or who exactly the Big Bad of “Star Trek 3” will be.

    In February, a rumor surfaced that Bryan Cranston was being eyed for the role of the villain, but maybe there’s more than one villain? The more, the merrier! There are a ton of possible villains for “Star Trek 3,” from Klingons to the Borg, so writers Simon Pegg (yes, that Simon Pegg) and Doug Jung have plenty to choose from.

    “Star Trek 3” will star Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and Anton Yelchin. There have been some interesting behind-the-scenes changes since the film was first announced a few years ago, such as Justin Lin replacing Roberto Orci in the director’s seat. Orci was also attached to co-write the script with his former creative partner Alex Kurtzman. In any case, “Star Trek 3” is reportedly still on track to begin filming in June.

    [Via Variety]
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  • Netflix to Release Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Beasts of No Nation’ (UPDATED)

    67th Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards - Arrivals
    UPDATE: Netflix officially announced Tuesday that it had acquired the rights to Cary Fukunaga’s directorial effort “Beasts of No Nation,” which the streaming service said would “debut later this year in select theaters in the U.S. and worldwide on Netflix.” Both the theatrical and streaming releases will occur on the same day.

    An earlier report from Deadline (see story below) said that Fukunaga’s film, which he also wrote, was set to reach a lucrative deal with Netflix, though the news was not official until Netflix put out a press release Tuesday afternoon. Per the release:

    ‘Beasts of No Nation’ is based on the highly acclaimed novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala, bringing to life the gripping tale of Agu, a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an African country. Newcomer Abraham Attah gives a stunning portrayal of Agu, while Elba dominates the screen in the role of Commandant, a warlord who takes in Agu and instructs him in the ways of war.

    “‘Beasts of No Nation’ is a powerful film that unfolds beautifully in the hands of director Cary Fukunaga with Idris Elba delivering a career-defining performance,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer, in a statement. “We are so proud to bring a film of this caliber exclusively to Netflix members around the world at the same time as it appears in select theaters.”

    Our original report is below.

    EARLIER:

    “True Detective” helmer Cary Fukunaga has been busy in recent months, prepping to bring Stephen King’s horror classic “It” to the big screen. Now, his latest directorial effort may be getting a high-profile deal from Netflix.

    According to Deadline, Fukunaga is close to signing a contract with the streaming service that would net him some $12 million in exchange for global distribution rights to “Beasts of No Nation.” The flick, based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala, tells the story of a child soldier fighting a civil war in an African nation and stars Idris Elba as a warlord who takes the boy in.

    But while Netflix is eager to nab the rights to the flick, its ambitions don’t stop at streaming. Deadline reports that “Beasts” “will have a theatrical component as well and a vigorous push in Oscar season.”

    Fukunaga and Elba also produced the film. No word yet on when it may get a release.

    [via: Deadline]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

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