Is Idris Elba the Next James Bond? Actor Gives Clear Answer

That actor was asked point blank by an ITV reporter if she was looking at the next 007 and his answer was a clear, "No." He was walking the carpet at the U.K. premiere of his directorial debut, "Yardie," when a reporter presented him with a martini and asked if he would like it shaken or stirred.

"Stir fried, actually," he joked, then moved on.

Speculation and hope that the "Wire" and "Luther" star could become the first black Bond has swept through the press in waves over the years, but reached another high tide earlier this month when filmmaker Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") said franchise producer Barbara Broccoli told him she feels "it is time" for an actor of color to take over the role once Daniel Craig gives it up and she is certain "it will happen eventually."

As usual, Twitter rallied behind the idea hard, and Elba only further toyed with their dreams by tweeting this:

But before producers worry about casting the next Bond, they need to deal with the current production, only known as "Bond 25," at this point. Director Danny Boyle left the film over "creative differences." The movie was set to start production this December and is set for a November 2019 release.