Idris Elba confirms he won’t be the next James Bond hours after Danny Boyle steps down as director

The Luther star has long been considered a frontrunner to become the new 007

Idris Elba has denied rumours he will be replacing Daniel Craig as James Bond.

The actor has long been considered a frontrunner to replace the 007 star when he steps down from the franchise, however, he has put an end to the rumours.

Elba was asked by Good Morning Britain reporter Divya Kohli at the premiere of his directorial debut Yardie whether she was looking at the next 007 to which he simply replied: “No”.

The actor, whose credits include hit TV shows The Wire and Luther, recently fuelled speculation following reports that producer Barbara Broccoli said the "door is open" for a black Bond in a future film. Elba later tweeted out a photo of himself captioned “My name’s Elba, Idris Elba”.

Filmmaker Danny Boyle – who was set to direct the first Bond film since Sam Mendes’ Spectre – has stepped down from the project citing “creative differences” with MGM. It is unknown who’ll replace him.

Other actors in the running to succeed Craig in the role include Aidan Turner, James Norton and Jamie Bell.

Yardie is in cinemas on 31 August. Luther is expected to return to the BBC later this year.