British actor Idris Elba could become the next James Bond, according to leaked Sony emails.

Elba, 42, who has starred in The Wire and Luther, could replace Daniel Craig as the next 007 when his contract ends after the next film, if leaked emails are to be believed.

Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal allegedly told a top executive at Columbia Pictures, which distributes the Bond films, that 'Idris should be the next bond'.

It is latest piece of information to emerge from the Sony hacking scandal, which resulted in the cancelling of the Christmas Day release of The Interview.

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British actor Idris Elba, 42 (left), who has starred in The Wire and Luther, could replace Daniel Craig, 46, (right) as the next James Bond when his contract ends after the next film, if leaked Sony emails are to be believed

Hackers threatened 9/11-style terrorist attacks on cinemas showing the comedy about two journalists – played by actors James Franco and Seth Rogen – who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The federal government confirmed on Wednesday that North Korea was behind the massive hack of Sony, which saw thousands of internal emails leaked.

According to the Daily Beast, an email sent on January 4 from Ms Pascal to Elizabeth Cantillon, former executive vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, simply said: 'Idris should be the next bond (sic).'

If Elba, from Hackney, east London, did follow in Daniel Craig's footsteps, he would become the first black James Bond. Previous actors to portray 007 on the big screen include Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore and Sean Connery.

Many have voiced support for Elba to play the British spy, including actor Jamie Foxx who said in an interview earlier this year that he was a big fan of the idea.

Elba himself has also previously expressed desire to play the British spy, telling website Reddit that he would take the role.

'Yes. if it was offered to me, absolutely,' he said.

An email sent on January 4 from Sony co-chairman Amy Pascal (pictured) to Elizabeth Cantillon, former executive vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, allegedly said: 'Idris should be the next bond'

The leaked email comes as filming for the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise gets underway. Actor Daniel Craig, 46, has seen filming on the River Thames, outside London's Secret Service MI6 headquarters

A Facebook group called 'We want Idris Elba for James Bond', which was set up before the leak, also has more than 30,000 likes.

The leaked email comes as filming for the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise gets underway.

Spectre, which follows on from the 2002 release of Skyfall, will be released in the UK in November next year.

Daniel Craig, who is in contract to play Bond for one more movie at Spectre, could be seen filming on the River Thames, outside London's famed Secret Service MI6 headquarters, last week.

The Liverpudlian, 46, could also be seen stood in the window of an apartment in Notting Hill, west London, filming scenes for the 24th James Bond film.

Spectre was announced on December 4 and stars including Monica Bellucci (Lucia Sciarra), Christoph Waltz (Oberhauser), and Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann) have all been confirmed for the movie.

However, the announcement was not without hiccup.

The Sony hacking resulted in the film's original scripts being leaked, forcing producers to rewrite the plot line and bring in additional writers to help make changes to the ending.

The leak also revealed that Spectre has a budget of over $300 million, which is $50 million more than its predecessor.