Is Idris Elba the new James Bond? Star drops hint he might replace Daniel Craig as 007
22 December 2025, 14:13
The 53-year-old actor sent fans into meltdown after posting a teasing video from Madame Tussauds.
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Idris Elba has reignited rumours that he’s set to become the next James Bond after sharing a video that left fans convinced he’s stepping into the iconic role.
The 53-year-old actor posted a clip from Madame Tussauds on Saturday, showing himself interacting with the wax figures.
As the Bond theme played in the background, the camera panned across models of past 007s before landing on Idris, who stood at the end of the line.
Idris uploaded the tongue-in-cheek video to his official TikTok page, with the caption: "Wifey made me do it..."
The moment immediately set social media alight, with fans flooding the comments to declare him their top pick to succeed Daniel Craig as Britain’s most famous spy.
“Next James Bond pls,” one fan wrote.
“He would be an AMAZING James Bond!” added another.
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A third joked, “Ooh, don't get my hopes up, love!”
Others chimed in with messages like: “Not just the Bond we want… the Bond we NEED” and “This is the Bond we want.”
But despite Idris Elba being a fan favourite to play James Bond, high street bookies don't even have the Luther star in their top 20 favourites.
According to OddsChecker Dua Lipa's fiancé, actor Callum Turner, is currently the favourite to play James Bond with odds of 10/11.
A close second is actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson with odds of 3/1, then James Nelson-Joyce at 5/1 and Theo James with 10/1.
Idris Elba is currently in 34th place with odds of 50/1, behind Tom Holland, Cillian Murphy and Robert Pattinson.
Elba’s films have earned more than $9.8 billion at the global box office, placing him among the top 20 highest-grossing actors in the world.
However, Idris recently revealed that he plans to step away from acting in the near future.
Appearing earlier this month at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Elba took part in a wide-ranging Q&A to discuss his future career plans.
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He admitted he might even “go back to school,” explaining that he sometimes feels like “an imposter” when surrounded by politicians and world leaders.
Idris Elba's muscles are too much for Amanda Holden 🤣
The festival also saw Elba promote his new short film, Dust To Dreams, his second directorial effort after Yardie.
The film follows a shy young woman who inherits her late mother’s struggling Lagos nightclub, leading to an emotional reunion with her estranged father — played by singer Seal.
Speaking about his evolving ambitions, Elba confirmed that he’s preparing to transition from acting to directing full-time. “I'm hoping that my fan base as an actor isn't mad at me, but eventually I want to transfer to be a director fully,” he said.
“I've been acting for a long time. I love it still, but I think directing allows me to flex slightly different muscles and just be a part of the set in a different way. I really enjoy it.”
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