The next installment in the James Bond franchise — working title “Bond 25” — won’t hit theaters until 2019, but that hasn’t stopped actor Idris Elba from reigniting a 007 debate at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Speculation swirled after 2015’s “Spectre” about the fate of the fictional British spy after actor Daniel Craig seemed ready to abandon the role. The debate paused in August after the actor confirmed his return, but Mr. Elba says “everybody” is ready for a change.

“There’s no such thing as a black Bond. It’s just, are we interested in having a Bond character other than being a male?” Mr. Elba said from Park City, Utah, Variety reported Monday. “It could be a woman, could be a black woman, could be a white woman, but I think, that character, everybody would like to see it have — do something different with it. Why not?”

The actor, who was on hand to promote his directorial debut “Yardie,” was rumored in 2015 to be in the running as Mr. Craig’s 007 replacement.