3amCelebrity NewsIdris ElbaIdris Elba has thrown his hat into the ring for a role in the new James Bond, but would rather play the lead character's arch nemesis07:23, 22 May 2026Idris Elba has thrown his hat officially in the ring for the new James Bond franchise.‌But the Londoner feels the main part is no longer an option so becoming the new villain may be a great way to appear in the movies he has loved throughout his life. Casting has begun with director Denis Villeneueve hunting for the next star with a license to thrill.‌Elba, 53, has been linked to the MI6 hero role for a decade, but is out of the frame as Amazon’s MGM Studios bosses are reportedly looking for leading man in their thirties.‌However the Luther star is on board for becoming this generation’s Blofeld, including having a cat with him. Asked “Would you ever have any interest in being a Bond villain?”, he pushed his hands into his face and replied: “If I say yes, this is going to haunt me for hours ."Yeah, I mean 100%. I mean Bond is such an iconic franchise. Why not? You know, like you could do the whole stroking cats [thing].”‌Elba who just filmed Masters Of The Universe for Amazon Studios teased that there could be an opportunity to appear in the 007 franchise - given the streamer has taken control of the spy series. “It is the same studio. We are in.”He was thrilled to be signed as Man At Arms Duncan for Masters of the Universe as it reminded him of his childhood, as well as giving him the opportunity to work with director Travis Knight.“I feel part of it to do with my nostalgia of playing with these toys and being part of something so like incredible." He told Fox 11: “Travis is a really big draw for me. I love Travis as a director. I just I can't wait to work with him. And then his perspective on how to pull this to life was right up my street. He didn't want to make it something else.‌"He wanted to be very very true to the original IP, to the to the culture of cartoons and animations and sound and the music and all of that. Obviously he cast me, which I'm a different hue to Duncan, but it wasn't about that for him. It was about finding that character within the Duncan character that he could bring to life. And I was just really impressed by that."Knight put toys of the original animated characters in Elba’s dressing room, he recalled: “They gave us a bunch of toys in our trailers and then I had my two I had two different versions."They gave me like the OG Man of Arms and then they gave me the newer one and I was playing with them in my costume and I was like, ‘Yo, this is great.’ It was so surreal. I was comparing moustaches with this one and this one. It was definitely like a dream come true."Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Idris ElbaJames Bond