Anthony Horowitz says Idris Elba is 'too street' to play James Bond

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

And after facing the customary roasting on social media has said he is mortified by his choice of language, something readers of his new James Bond novel might identify with.

And yet, would it be appropriate for a white man to play a black man's character- the role of Othello for example has been attempted in the past but would now be seem as absurd.

James Bond is a character with a Scottish heritage, from the Fleming novels an unmistakably white man.In a sense, handing the reins to a black man for the sake of tokenism (Idris is a good actor but so are many others) would only bend the character out of shape even further. It seems the clamour only exists because Bond is an institution now rather than simply a specific character.

Just because a Welsh, Australian, Irish and two Englishmen have played Bond it doesn't necessarily mean they were good picks either. In Bond's case, rather than diversifying and weakening the character, isn't it more the time to go right back to his roots, a rather appalling cheeky Scottish psycho with a drink problem?

I enjoyed Idris as String but not sure he's impressed me in much since The Wire, and that's quite a long time.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

isn't it more the time to go right back to his roots, a rather appalling cheeky Scottish psycho with a drink problem?

[Dr Rock]

There is no reason why Bond can't be played by a class of 7 year olds and a bin.

[Serge]

I still haven't seen him in 'The Wire', but I have to say that the appeal of Idris completely eludes me. His bad shouty overacting in the first episode of 'Luther' nearly made me give up on it, though thankfully he dials it back a bit after that (though 'Luther' had lots of other problems anyway.) He's bland in 'The Office', and leaves so little impression in 'Prometheus' that I had to be reminded that he was in it. Other than 'The Wire', is there anything else he's been in that people would recommend to try and change my mind?

(I should point out that he seems like a bloody nice bloke, confirmed by friends of mine who've met him, but as an actor.....nah.)

[newbridge]

Anyone who is one percent angered over the sanctity of the "James Bond" character and the actor portraying him should be shot out of a cannon.

[newbridge]

leaves so little impression in 'Prometheus' that I had to be reminded that he was in it

His ropey attempt at an American-Southern accent was the most memorable thing about that movie for me.

[Kelvin]

Just because a Welsh, Australian, Irish and two Englishmen have played Bond it doesn't necessarily mean they were good picks either. In Bond's case, rather than diversifying and weakening the character, isn't it more the time to go right back to his roots, a rather appalling cheeky Scottish psycho with a drink problem?

The fact he was Scottish is irrelevant, though. The only things that should matter in the casting or interpretation of a character is whether the essence of the character is captured. All other elements should be seen as superficial and malleable.

So in the case of Bond, his being English, Welsh or Scottish are largely irrelevant. What matters is that he is British - and loyal to his country and cause. That artifice of patriotism, that need to stand for something, to have a cause, is key to the character.

Race, with Bond, is slightly more complicated. On one level, Bond still remains a symbol of arrogant privilege and British imperialism and those are best represented by a white, male born into money. With many characters, their race is irrelevant - The Doctor could regenerate as a black man and it wouldn't change the essence of his character whatsoever - but with Bond, I do wonder if his race, and the negative connotations of a white man running into foreign country's and imposing Britain's will, are still important. In truth, I suspect that him being white adds a dimension to the character, but that changing his race could add new dimensions of it's own.   

In short, I'd prefer Bond to be white, because of it's allusions to British privilege and imperialism, but it's not something I imagine I'd care strongly about if the character was well written and interesting for other reasons. Far more important for me is that he remains a symbol of Britain's arrogant foreign policy.   

[holyzombiejesus]

Did Anthony Horowitz say anything about Adam Woodyatt's suitability for the role?

[Dr Rock]

There's no reason in this day and age why Bond can't be played by an apple or a fraction.

[Noodle Lizard]

I don't particularly care for the sanctity of the Bond character anymore, I think Daniel Craig was a poor choice and haven't liked a Bond film in about 20 years.  But nah, can't picture Idris Elba as Bond either.  It'd just feel like a different thing (much like it did with Daniel "I am The Tapeworm" Craig).  There's something about the others, even the weaker ones, which felt very Bondy.  Can't explain it.

[Shaky]

The fact that "Tony" Horowitz fails to even bring up the idea of an Asian Bond speaks horrible volumes.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I don't mind about the Scottish thing. He's an English character (he has a Scottish brogue in the Connery films but Connery never changes his accent, I don't think he was playing him as Scots) with some Scottish heritage that was added after Fleming saw Dr. No.

For me, Connery and Craig are the only ones who have successfully combined believable toughness with charisma and that old school upper crust background. Idris Elba could have the first two but I'm not sure about the other.

[East of Eden]

I've always suspected that Anthony Horowitz is a backwards ass nigga, and this all but confirms it.

I'd love to see Idris Elba as James Bond. Q played by Samuel Jacon. Miss Moneypenny played by Chris Tucker.

OH CHRIST, LET KANYE WEST AND IDI AMIN BE IN IT TOO FOR FUCKS SAKE

[Dex Sawash]

Vanilla Ice has a passable scots accent

[Glebe]

Idris Elba is an actor. I'm sure he wouldn't play James Bond with a 'street' vibe.

[shiftwork2]

Idris can't be Bond because he did those Sky ads for boxsets.  I'd be sitting there, right, watching him drive a vehicle fast with his wanger hanging out thinking 'that fella, he loves his boxsets he do'.  Talking about The Wire being the daddy.  Talking about other lesser boxsets.

Idris has already shat it.

[biggytitbo]

It's increasingly tiresome that everytime casting stuff comes up for roles like Bond and Doctor Who there's a contrived fake controversy about racism or sexism. Why can't Bond be a black man? Because he's white. Why can't Bond be a woman? Because he's a man. Easy.

Invent new black and female characters please.

[CaledonianGonzo]

The main issue with casting Idris Elba is that - without his beard - he doesn't look like Idris Elba any more.  Which defeats the purpose of casting Idris Elba.

Plus, he's named after the dragon in Ivor the Engine.

[chand]

It's increasingly tiresome that everytime casting stuff comes up for roles like Bond and Doctor Who there's a contrived fake controversy about racism or sexism. Why can't Bond be a black man? Because he's white. Why can't Bond be a woman? Because he's a man. Easy.

Invent new black and female characters please.

Doctor Who is a time-travelling space wizard who regenerates into new bodies by magic.

Bond appears to be a codename for a series of shagging men who walk round in suits knocking foreigners off roofs and making quips about it.

Both have been played by a wide range of actors with wildly different styles already. Bond's been portrayed by both Roger Moore, who was basically an action version of a backbench Tory MP still bitter about losing the colonies, and Daniel Craig who played it like he was Jason Bourne on the 'roids.

I mean, I don't give a particular shit about either character but I can definitely see Idris Elba being able to convincingly a) act like he's shagging a woman b) walk round in a suit c) knock foreigners off roofs and d) make quips about it, and it seems absurd to say that he's too 'street' to be able to perform those acts in a daft spy movie.

It'll probably just be Benedict fucking Cumberbatch though.

[Dr Rock]

It's not a code name.

[Wet Blanket]

Is Spectre guaranteed to be Craig's final outing as Bond then? All of his films seem to end with him becoming 'James Bond' so it feels like he's quitting after he's only got started, though I suppose he has been at it for ten years.

I'd have thought Elba's age would be more problematic than his race. He'd be in his mid-40s before even starring in his first film. It'll be all low-speed car chases on mobility scooters through seaside bingo halls.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Both have been played by a wide range of actors with wildly different styles already. Bond's been portrayed by both Roger Moore, who was basically an action version of a backbench Tory MP still bitter about losing the colonies, and Daniel Craig who played it like he was Jason Bourne on the 'roids.

But my point is that just because that may be the case, doesn't make that the correct precedent either.

Despite that Connery and Moore are very different, Dalton/Brosnan/Craig aren't different types in the grand scheme of things.

None of the motivations for promoting Elba have anything beyond tokenism, in quarters who don't even watch or enjoy the films to start with and for that reason they should be resisted. It's not like Bond is the President of the USA or the Prime Minister where we have to break down barriers for minorities, it's a character from a book.

Obviously we know Idris plays a fantastic cunt through watching The Wire, but on many other qualitative levels, he doesn't seem to be an appropriate choice at all.

If you approve of, or are on the bandwagon, then you're only contributing to something arbitrary- not something progressive.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Is Spectre guaranteed to be Craig's final outing as Bond then?

Insomuch as it means anything at all, he's contracted for a fifth movie - and he'll only do one more, tops - but he gave an interview the other week saying he didn't feel like doing another one.  Though that was just out of the filming process, so he might feel a bit different in a few months time.

[Wet Blanket]

but he gave an interview the other week saying he didn't feel like doing another one.

Sounds like something he'd say to put pressure on the producers to offer him more brass.

Assuming he does do a final film, then Idris Elba would be pushing fifty by the time he got the role. Seems unlikely.

[Jerzy Bondov]

If you read the interview in question (people on Twitter don't know how to do this) you'll see that Horowitz advocates Adrian Lester as Bond over Idris Elba. That's a black bloke as well.

I like Elba but personally he's not my choice for Bond. Not because I'm a racist (although I am one of those) but because I just don't see it. I would watch a film of him shagging and shooting people but I'd rather he wasn't called James Bond in it. His name just gets thrown around on the internet for every fucking thing going and then when it turns out he's not being cast as James Bond/Doctor Who/Wonder Woman/Mr Bean/Shrek then it's because of racism.

Chiwetel Ejiofor would be a good Bond I think, bit more in the Dalton mode. Don't see why Bond can't be black or mixed race or something. Couldn't be Indian though could he? That's the real racism.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I'd have thought Elba's age would be more problematic than his race. He'd be in his mid-40s before even starring in his first film. It'll be all low-speed car chases on mobility scooters through seaside bingo halls.

Mind, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan were all early to mid-40s when they first played the role. I do think mid to late 30s is ideal though if they're looking to get a few films. Roger Moore was 58 when he did A View to a Kill and looked a bit ridiculous. Henry Cavill would seem like an ideal choice, he's already playing a Bond-esque character at the moment

[checkoutgirl]

James Bond is a character with a Scottish heritage, from the Fleming novels an unmistakably white man.In a sense, handing the reins to a black man for the sake of tokenism (Idris is a good actor but so are many others) would only bend the character out of shape even further. It seems the clamour only exists because Bond is an institution now rather than simply a specific character.

To my mind Annie was always a ginger freckly white person but the latest film has her as a black girl. Fair enough I suppose. Who cares really? There's a version of Sherlock Holmes where Watson is played by Lucy Liu who is not only a woman, but an Asian. So they've made a right bollocks of that character but they wanted to add a "will they won't they" element to the story for some unknown reason. And they obviously could not give one solitary fuck about the background of the original character of Watson other than what suited their ends.

People will debase, prostitute, alter and erase characters as and when they choose when they have bought the rights to do so or when they haven't bought the rights to do so. It's all very confusing but most well known characters seem to be white and most of the world audience these days is not white, so you're going to get this kind of thing and mostly it probably doesn't matter. You might say James Bond is of Scottish descent but wait a second, now he's of Caribbean descent because I just said so now this second. Boom. Job done. Move on.

If Dr Watson can be an Asian American woman then character origins have become superfluous and completely incidental. Hollywood has being doing this shit for years.

Look, Superman is now Batman's step dad and they live on the moon. Fuck it.

[chand]

But my point is that just because that may be the case, doesn't make that the correct precedent either.

Despite that Connery and Moore are very different, Dalton/Brosnan/Craig aren't different types in the grand scheme of things.

None of the motivations for promoting Elba have anything beyond tokenism, in quarters who don't even watch or enjoy the films to start with and for that reason they should be resisted. It's not like Bond is the President of the USA or the Prime Minister where we have to break down barriers for minorities, it's a character from a book.

Obviously we know Idris plays a fantastic cunt through watching The Wire, but on many other qualitative levels, he doesn't seem to be an appropriate choice at all.

If you approve of, or are on the bandwagon, then you're only contributing to something arbitrary- not something progressive.

I'm not saying Elba should be the new Bond, I'm saying I don't think his race ought to immediately rule him out, because I don't think the whiteness of James Bond is necessarily a defining characteristic in the films. 'Tokenism' debate aside I think he's certainly capable of being a good smarmy British murderer in a film. As the modern films are set in the present day rather than in the 70s/80s I'm not sure that finding a modern actor who can play it like Roger Moore would ring true any more either. And people who are suggesting Elba aren't necessarily arguing that any old black actor could play the part.

[biggytitbo]

Doctor Who is a time-travelling space wizard who regenerates into new bodies by magic.

Bond appears to be a codename for a series of shagging men who walk round in suits knocking foreigners off roofs and making quips about it.

Both have been played by a wide range of actors with wildly different styles already. Bond's been portrayed by both Roger Moore, who was basically an action version of a backbench Tory MP still bitter about losing the colonies, and Daniel Craig who played it like he was Jason Bourne on the 'roids.

All of these men are white british blokes (well lazenby wasn't but he was shit) , as is James Bond, which is why they were cast rather than Don Warrington or Colin Salmon.

Yes I realise it's superficial, but the reason people like Bond is because it's Bond, with all the Bond elements and cliches, rather than something else.

It's like the Tardis. It can be anything, but if it was anything other than a blue police box it just wouldn't be the same would it?

Also I'll say this again, invent new black characters!

[checkoutgirl]

Why can't Bond be a black man? Because he's white. Why can't Bond be a woman? Because he's a man. Easy.

Invent new black and female characters please.

If you invent new characters there are two main problems.

1. You have to be arsed to invent a new character and most people can't be arsed.

2. You have to make that character well known. Why bother when Bond/Sherlock Holmes/Dracula are already well known? That's why you have 700 episode TV shows and loads of sequels and trilogies and stuff in Tinseltown. They cannot be arsed coming up with new shit when everyone knows who the fuck James Bond is already.

Marry that to the fact that the world audience is diversifying concerning racial background and you've got yourself a black Annie and an Asian American woman Dr Watson. And I'd say get used to it because it will probably only grow with time. Racial minorities are sick of going to films with just white people in them and this will be reflected more as time goes on.