In a livestream for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Idris Elba may have delivered a huge new James Bond hint.
The Luther actor has been associated with the renowned big screen series for years, with lots of whispers swirling that he may be the one to succeed Daniel Craig as 007, alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hardy, and Bridgerton‘s Regé Jean-Page.
Earlier this year, the guy appeared to rule himself out of the part, and subsequently claimed that ‘disgusting’ remarks about his prospective casting had turned him off.
He is, however, certain to have inspired additional conjecture during the Night City Wire: Phantom Liberty Special livestream, which presented a new cinematic teaser for the upcoming DLC (downloadable content).
He appeared in the teaser as FIA Agent Solomon Reed, seven years before the events of Phantom Liberty – but Idris has gotten people talking about more than video games.
Reflecting on a scene where Reed talks to So Mi on the train, he teased: ‘If anyone’s really looking at this frame, there’s a big Easter egg. Look for it, it#s there, it’s in the frame. It’s a big Easter egg! That’s all I’m saying!’
Although Idris did not elaborate, a screen behind his character displays the figure ‘0.07%,’ which appears to be an obvious homage to 007 himself.
‘Reed is a professional, someone who’s lived many lives,’ the actor teased during the live stream.
‘He’s basically a secret agent that has worked in Night City for a long time and has been a special ops operator, and basically has kept his head down, until now.’
Reflecting on being linked to the Bond role, he told SmartLess podcast hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes over the summer that the discussion turned into a racially motivated debate.
‘The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,’ he said. ‘James Bond… it’s one of those coveted [roles].’
He added: ‘Being asked to be James Bond was like “OK, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle.” That’s one of those things the whole world has a vote in. Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered.
‘Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting because it became about race.’
Speaking to The Guardian, Idris previously expressed how much he ‘loves’ the Bond movies, adding that he and the producers of the 007 films were ‘laughing about the rumours because they are just that’ when people thought that he could be Daniel’s successor.
When asked whether he was ever close to landing the part, he answered, ‘No, nowhere,’ yet he cryptically said that he wasn’t going to tell if there were conversations about it.
Source My Celebrity Life.
