Idris Elba walks away from James Bond film, to start his own franchise?

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Idris Elba is reported to have walked away from talks to be the next James Bond after being named the favourite to replace Daniel Craig.

Elba is instead reportedly set to pursue "his own film franchise," though he has apparently suggested other suitable 007s to producer Barbara Broccoli, reports aceshowbiz.com. A source told The Sun: "Fans and Barbara wanted Idris, but he wants to create something for himself. However, he's put forward names to play 007. He's 'informally' in the decision-making process as he's been in talks with producers for so long."

Daniel, 54, quit after his fifth Bond outing in last year's 'No Time to Die', with Barbara later saying Elba was in her plans to take over as the spy, hailing him as "a magnificent actor". With Idris out of the running, Henry Cavill and Rege-Jean Page are the joint 4/1 bookies' favourites. They are still front-runners despite a film insider earlier this month saying the new James Bond must be aged under 40 and taller than 5ft 10 inches.

A source told the Daily Star on August 8 that Eon Productions were after a "fresh-faced" replacement for Daniel. They added that bringing in an actor in their "late 30s" will allow him to stay in the role for at least a decade, or potentially three films.

The source also claimed filming on the next movie may start in winter 2023, but Craig's successor will not be unveiled until next autumn at the earliest.

The Eon Productions' under-40s casting "rule" meant bookies' and fans' favourites such as Idris, Henry, and Rege-Jean, as well as 44-year-old Tom Hardy, would have been ruled out. Richard Madden, 36, and James Norton, 37, are now said to be in pole position, with the alleged 5 ft 10 height requirement also ruling out Taron Egerton, 32, John Boyega, 30, and 35-year-old Kit Harington.