After weeks of speculation that Idris Elba is the main target to take over from Daniel Craig as James Bond, the man himself has finally broken his silence. Elba, a talented actor who would undoubtedly serve as an excellent 007, is, according to leaked Sony emails, the man who is most likely to take over from Craig in two movies' time.

Idris ElbaIdris Elba is best known for playing DCI John Luther, but if Sony's chief has her way, he will take over from Daniel Craig as the next Bond

Back in November during a Reddit AMA session, Elba said he would "absolutely" take on the role of Bond if it were offered to him and the leak at Sony revealed that Amy Pascal wants the Luther man to step into 007's famous shoes.  "Idris should be the next Bond", the influential studio head said.

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Now, after Rush Limbaugh suggested he couldn't play Bond because of the colour of his skin, Elba has discussed his potential casting. He responded to the speculation with a self-deprecating tweet about not being handsome enough. "Isn't 007 supposed to handsome? Glad you think I've got a shot!  Happy New year people," he wrote after posting a silly snap on Instagram.

Production is currently underway on the 24th Bond movie, SPECTRE, with Sam Mendes returning to the director's chair after the phenomenal success of Skyfall. Returning stars include Daniel Craig as James Bond, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as M while newcomers include Andrew Scott, Lea Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Monica Belluccia and the Oscar winning actor Christoph Waltz as Oberhauser.

Elba is currently lending his voice to the upcoming sequel Finding Dory.

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