Idris Elba responds to James Bond casting rumors with cryptic tweets

After old rumors that actor Idris Elba will be the next James Bond gained new life earlier this week, the man himself has responded on social media to apparently dismiss them.

Elba, who has been in the public conversation to take the role of 007 after Daniel Craig wraps up with “Bond 25,” took to Twitter to respond to the firestorm of chatter about him being cast as the next actor to play the iconic role.

On Sunday, the star posted a series of cryptic tweets in which he poked fun at the idea. The first was a heavily filtered selfie of the top half of his head with the caption, “my name is Elba, Idris Elba.”

Hours later, the star got even more vague, first sharing an image of the rap group Public Enemy followed quickly by one of their lyrics, “Don’t Believe The HYPE...” While this seems like the 45-year-old star’s way of putting the idea of him playing Bond to bed, it’s hard to tell for sure.

As previously reported, director Antoine Fuqua discussed the possibility of his casting during a conversation with producer Barbara Broccoli who said “it is time” for a “non-white actor” to play the iconic character. Fuqua allegedly said the move “will happen eventually” and Elba is reportedly the first choice to take on the role.

“Idris could do it if he was in shape. You need a guy with a physically strong presence. Idris has that,” Fuqua said.

The star was previously rumored to take on the role in 2014 following the hack into Sony Pictures’ emails. However, the star addressed the rumors in a very similar tongue-in-cheek way on social media at that time as well.

“Isn’t 007 supposed to be handsome?” he wrote over a less-than-flattering selfie. “Glad you think I’ve got a shot! Happy New Year people.”

Craig has portrayed the character since his 2006 debut in “Casino Royale.” Since then he’s played the titular character in four films not including the upcoming “Bond 25,” which is widely expected to be his last.