Idris Elba Addresses James Bond Rumors

Actor Idris Elba addressed old rumors that he could be the next James Bond in an interview on NPR Wednesday.

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"It's a rumor," he said. "It's a very old rumor. My dad and I were talking about this the other day. I would do it, but I don't want to be called the first black James Bond. Do you understand what I 'm saying? Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond."

The British actor, who is best known for playing the drug kingpin Stringer Bell on the HBO series The Wire, currently plays a police detective on the BBC series Luther, which began its second season Wednesday night.

The character is currently being played by Craig, who is set to return to the role a third time for director Sam Mendes.

But that doesn't mean Elba is discounting the role entirely. He says, "If Sony decided to call me and said hey, we wanted to do [James Bond], I'd definitely consider it."