James Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has publically suggested that Idris Elba could be the next 007 once Daniel Craig completes his final outing in the role.

After years of heavy speculation, it appears that Elba is closing in on the role which would make him the first ever black James Bond role. According to reports, Broccoli a said in a conversation with director Antoine Fuqua that it was time for the famous spy to be played by a black actor.

As reported in The Daily Star, Broccoli is thought to have told Fuqua that “it is time” for the role to be played by an ethnic minority, saying that it “will happen eventually” before adding “Idris could do it if he was in shape.”

In other Bond-related news, Danny Boyle has been officially confirmed as the director for the film.

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The film, which is likely to be Daniel Craig’s final performance as Bond, will be released November 8th, 2019. The script for the 25th Bond film is currently being written by Trainspotting screenwriter John Hodge: “We’ve got an idea, John Hodge, the screenwriter, and I have got this idea, and John is writing it at the moment. And it all depends on how it turns out. It would be foolish of me to give any of it away,” Boyle said previously.

A press release has confirmed that production will begin on December 3rd, 2018, with a release date slated in the UK for October 25th, 2019. A worldwide release will follow on November 8th, distributed by Universal Pictures.

Boyle is best known for his work with Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours. That said, the British director does have previous with the James Bond franchise and was famously a high-profile candidate for the previous 2012’s Skyfall and 2015’s Spectre. Instead, however, both of the aforementioned films ended up being directed by Sam Mendes.

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