Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal says British actor Idris Elba should be the next 007.
Leaked emails from Sony’s recent hacking reveal Ms. Pascal sent a Jan. 4, 2014 email to Elizabeth Cantillon, former executive vice president of production for Columbia pictures, which distributes the Bond films, saying, “Idris should be the next Bond,” the Daily Beast reported Friday.
Many have voiced support for Mr. Elba as the new face of the British spy, including actor Jamie Foxx, who told The Daily Beast in an interview earlier this year that he was a big fan of the idea of Mr. Elba taking on the role. If chosen, he would be the first black 007.
In September Mr. Elba himself said in an interview on Reddit that he would “absolutely” love to portray the famous character.
Current 007, Daniel Craig, has made no secret of his desire to leave the franchise, telling Rolling Stone in 2012, “I’ve been trying to get out of this from the very moment I got into it. But they won’t let me go, and I’ve agreed to do a couple more, but let’s see how this one does, because business is business and if [expletive] goes down, I’ve got a contract that somebody will happily wipe their [expletive] with.”
Mr. Craig is signed on for one more Bond film after “Spectre,” set for release in November 2016, The Daily Beast reported.
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The emails favoring the suave British actor are the latest in a slew of other information on “Spectre” leaked in the hack. The script for the film has leaked, its budget has skyrocketed to over $300 million, and that famous Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld is said to appear in the new film.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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