Idris Elba #TooStreet to Play James Bond? The Internet Doesn't Think So

Rumors that Idris Elba could become the next James Bond have been met with much opposition, but the Internet disagrees that he’s #TooStreet for the role.

James Bond author Anthony Horowitz was one of the harshest critics of the idea of Idris Elba playing the lead character, calling the actor “too street”, before apologizing in hindsight for his comments made.

I'm really sorry my comments about Idris Elba have caused offence [full statement attached] pic.twitter.com/UD6ouA45Uv
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— Anthony Horowitz (@AnthonyHorowitz) September 1, 2015

American rightwing radio host Rush Limbaugh was more direct, pointing out that Elba could not play Bond because of his ethnicity. “James Bond is a total concept put together by Ian Fleming. He was white and Scottish” Limbaugh said.

Even African American actor Yaphet Kotto, who played a major Bond villain back in the day, opined that 007 cannot be black, adding that “black men should stop trying to play roles created by whites” in an interview with Big Issue.

But why shouldn’t Elba play Bond, a character who has already underwent numerous changes when he transitioned from novels to the silver screen?

Bond may be Scottish, but the actors who played him previously – Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and George Lazenby – certainly weren’t.

https://twitter.com/patbits/status/638717672025255936

Elba cuts a dashing figure in a three-piece suit, and has proved time and again that he can act pretty well. If anything, the role of 007 is beneath him, as current Bond actor Daniel Craig has gone on record to say that the character is a “very lonely, sexist misogynist”.

In fact, Elba could add depth to the role, and the Internet agrees, taking to Twitter with #TooStreet to show their support for him.