Idris Elba denies James Bond rumours and takes swipe at franchise as he brands Luther ‘more relatable’

Idris Elba has made a dig at the James Bond franchise as he has said his detective character Luther is “more relatable”.

Elba’s comments come after he denied rumours he is taking on the role of secret agent James Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure.

The actor is set to make his debut film appearance as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther in the Luther: The Fallen Sun, which will be released on Netflix on March 10, and compared the two characters in a new interview.

“The Bond series is an incredible staple to the UK and the world, right, but Luther could take up some of that real estate,” Elba told Magic Radio.

“It is not about espionage, but it is about how to catch them.

Idris Elba has said Luther is “more relatable” than James Bond (John Wilson/Netflix)

“I think Luther tends to be a little bit more relatable, you know grounded. You know guys that creep from under your bed…this film has certainly taken it a little more cyber if you like with Andy Serkis’s character.”

Elba stars in the Netflix film alongside Serkis, Cynthia Erivo and Dermot Crowley, following on from the BBC series.

The actor first appeared as Luther back in 2010 and went on to portray the rough-around-the-edges detective in five seasons on BBC1.

Elba said the film has been a “long time coming”, and shared that he is “proud of the whole team” who worked on the project.

Like James Bond, Elba hopes the Luther franchise can expand into more movies.

“Hopefully it is the beginning of the new chapter,” he continued.

“Sounds corny, but you know we have gone from television, we have gone as far as we can and now, we have got the world as our stage. Big epic landscapes and you know infinite stories.”

Having appeared in several genres of film — from Westerns like The Harder They Fall to Marvel and DC superhero movies — Elba shared which direction he fancied going in next in his career.

“I would love to do a musical,” he revealed.

“I started off, my first semi-professional job was Guys and Dolls and I played Big Jule and I loved it. And I was the understudy for Sky Masterson, so I did the whole singing and dancing number, and I loved it.”