James Bond author Anthony Horowitz doesn’t think Idris Elba should play 007, for a completely ridiculous reason.

Updated with the author’s statement:

Following the backlash, Anthony Horowitz has released a statement on Twitter apologizing for his comments, proclaiming himself “horrified” for his poor choice of words:

Original story:

Pretty much since Daniel Craig replaced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in the long-running franchise, fans have been calling out Idris Elba’s name as a potential successor when Craig’s contract expires.

Elba, an accomplished British actor known from The Wire and Luther, would be the first non-white actor to take on the coveted 007 title.

There are many who believe he wouldn’t make a good James Bond, of course. Some say he’s too old at 42 (Daniel Craig was 38 when he first took the role), while others claim he just doesn’t seem to fit the part.

Idris Elba himself told Variety last year, “I just don’t want to be the black James Bond. Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”

What the dissenters aren’t saying (well, Rush Limbaugh did say it) is that they don’t want him because he’s black.

That’s not exactly Anthony Horowitz (author of the latest James Bond novel, titled Trigger Mortis)’s reason, to be fair. But take a look at what he had to say in a Daily Mail interview, and judge for yourself:

“For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”

Elba has, of course, played many different types of roles throughout his career. In Thor he played a Norse god, in Prometheus he played an astronaut, and in the upcoming Bastille Day he’ll be a CIA agent.

(He does have a role in the movie A Hundred Streets, but we doubt that’s what Horowitz is referring to.)

So yeah, the Internet is pretty outraged on Idris Elba’s behalf. Let’s take a look at how people have responded to Horowitz’ comments, with much photographic evidence:


Twitter has spoken.