Idris Elba Addresses James Bond Rumors With Hilarious Twitter Response

After some leaked emails revealed Sony was toying with the idea of making Idris Elba the first black man to play James Bond, the 42-year-old actor has finally responded to the conversation with a hilarious Twitter photo. The actor posted an image of his mug with a caption reading: “Isn’t 007 supposed to handsome? Glad you think I’ve got a shot! Happy New year people.”

Although the message is delightfully self-deprecating, Elba’s tweet has a couple of layers. First, it suggests he’s not taking the conversation, which was revealed in the recent massive Sony hack, very seriously. However, by thanking his fans for believing in him, it shows interest in the role.

This isn’t the first time Elba has acknowledged the idea of being the first black man to play the iconic 1960s secret agent. Previously, fans generated buzz around him now that the current Bond, Daniel Craig, is on the back end of his five-movie contract. The upcoming film “Spectre” will be his fourth run as the spy with a license to kill. After that, studio executives will be looking for a new actor to play the part and, as fans have suggested, it might be time for a black man to take the character for a spin.

Despite saying he’d accept the role in a Reddit AMA, Elba has also said he’s not interested in playing any so-called “black roles.”

“I just don’t want to be the black James Bond,” Elba told NPR. “Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”

Only time will tell what the studio plans to do after Craig’s graceful exit, it’s possible the upcoming years will change his opinion about the role several more times. After all, Ben Affleck once said he’d never play another costumed super hero -- so anything could happen.

“Spectre” is scheduled to hit theaters Nov. 6.