David Oyelowo is the next James Bond. Well, kind of.
At the request of 007 creator Ian Fleming’s estate, the Selma actor will take on the iconic character for an audiobook edition of Trigger Mortis, penned by Anthony Horowitz.
‘I am officially the only person on planet Earth who can legitimately say: “I am the new James Bond” – even saying that name is the cinematic equivalent of doing the “to be or not to be” speech,’ said David after his appointment was announced.
He added: ‘I was asked specifically by the Fleming estate, which is really special.’
Trigger Mortis takes place two weeks after the events of Goldfinger and will be released on September 8 2015.
A black or ethnic minority actor has yet to take up the mantle of Bond, James Bond, on screen although Idris Elba has long been considered the next candidate for the job which has seen seven actors portray the secret agent.
Leaked emails between former Sony chief Amy Pascal and Columbia Pictures revealed she favoured Idris as the next Bond, leading him to tweet: ‘Isn’t 007 supposed to [be] handsome? Glad you think I’ve got a shot!’
Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan has also tipped Idris for the role, but The Wire actor has expressed concern about being the first ‘black Bond’.
‘We don’t say “white Bond” we just say “Bond” so it suddenly becomes a black man and he’s a “black Bond”‘, he said. ‘I hate that phrase.’
- Correction: In a previous version of this article David Oyelowo was described as the first black actor to play Bond. The actual first actor to voice the role was Hugh Quarshie for Dr. No in a 2012 boxset.
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