Did Idris Elba Respond To James Bond Casting Rumors On Twitter?

Idris Elba seems to be having some fun with his Twitter followers after new rumors circulated that he would play James Bond.

Early Sunday morning, the actor tweeted a photo of himself with his name in the famous Bond quote: “my name’s Elba, Idris Elba.” That certainly made fans excited that a confirmation could be coming soon.

However, just five hours later, he returned to Twitter with another message. “Don’t believe the HYPE…” he wrote to his 2.51 million followers.

He also favorited a tweet where the user said he’d rather see a new franchise launch for a black spy rather than see a “Black Bond” movie.

So what is Elba trying to say in all of these posts be about his possible turn as James Bond? It’s unclear. For now, the 45-year-old seems to just be having fun with the latest round of rumors that he’ll be playing 007 rather than confirming or denying anything. However, other evidence suggests that the latest casting reports are untrue.

The rumors picked up steam last week after British tabloid the Daily Star claimed that director Antoine Fuqua said producer Barbara Broccoli said “it is time” for a non-white actor to play Bond, and she apparently is confident that “it will happen eventually.” The tabloid also reported that Elba is in the running.

The Hollywood Reporter, however, reached out to Fuqua’s rep who revealed that the quotes are fake. “He never had a conversation with Barbara about the franchise or about any casting. It’s all made up stuff. Not sure how it got started,” the rep told THR.

Bond and Elba fans know that this isn’t the first (or second or third) time the “Luther” actor has been rumored to take over the role.

“It is the wildest rumor in the world,” he told “Good Morning America” in July 2016. “I keep saying, if it was to happen it would be the will of a nation because there’s not been no talks [between] me and the studios about any of that. But everywhere I go, people want that to happen.”

He went on to joke that he might even be too old for the part. “But if I’m really honest, I think I’m too old for that. I can’t be running around in cars and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that? Sounds terrible,” he laughed. Elba is 45 while Daniel Craig, who is widely speculated to retire after James Bond 25, is 50.

For now, fans will just have to look forward to Craig’s next outing. James Bond 25 will hit the big screen Nov. 8, 2019.