Idris Elba should be the next James Bond. It just makes sense. Everyone agrees. Everyone except the author of the latest Bond novel, Anthony Horowitz. In an interview with right wing UK newspaper The Daily Mail, Horowitz said:
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.
It seems Horowitz doesn’t understand some of the basic principles of acting, being that the person acting, is er, acting. In his spare time Idris Elba doesn’t roam Baltimore in a SUV looking menacing, nor does he go around London solving crimes. Up till now people have cited Elba’s age, 42, as being the biggest obstacle to taking over the 007 mantle; Daniel Craig started as Bond when he was 38 and will likely end his tenure in the new Bond film Spectre, at the age of 47. But while Horowitz may suggest his reservations about Elba playing Bond do not come from a “colour issue,” it’s hard, given his choice of words, not the regard them as such.
Horowitz also has major issues with the last two Bond films, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. Of the Sam Mendes directed Skyfall Horowitz said, “Bond is weak in it. He has doubts. That’s not Bond.” Referring to the trailer for the new Bond film Spectre, with its shots of Bond gazing at old family photos, Horowitz said, “I don’t want to know about his doubts, his insecurities or weaknesses. I just want to see him act, kill, win.”
Horowitz’s new Bond novel Trigger Mortis takes off from where Ian Fleming’s classic Goldfinger ended. It is released on September 8th. In it, expect Bond to be the complete suave killing machine who is never made to look like a human with human flaws.
Update: Unsurprisingly, Horowitz’s comment about Elba being “too street” caused some degree of outrage. After noting this, he wrote this apology on his twitter account: