Idris Elba had a 'Black James Bond' line cut from Hobbs and Shaw

Photo credit: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Photo credit: Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

From Digital Spy

In Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Idris Elba plays the film's baddie Brixton, but in real life fans are keen to see him take on a more heroic role, that of James Bond.

The 'Elba as the next 007' talk has been so widespread in recent years that it even led to a line from Hobbs & Shaw being changed at the actor's request.

Photo credit: Universal
Photo credit: Universal

Speaking to Variety, Dwayne Johnson revealed that the film's original script had Brixton declare himself the "black James Bond", but Elba asked for the line to be changed, saying: "It’s too close to what everybody’s talking about."

Instead the line became, "I’m black Superman," and it's had such a good response that it seems everyone is arguing over who came up with it.

"Everyone loves ‘the black Superman’ line. Everyone’s taking credit for it – Idris, our director, our producers, I’m sure, Jason [Statham]…[but] I came up with that," Johnson said.

"I said, 'What about the black Superman?' And everyone’s like, 'Great!' [But] now everyone takes credit." However, Elba and producer Hiram Garcia have a different story.

"That line was just improvised," Elba said. "I was in one of these takes and I was really riffing, and then it came out and [director David Leitch] loved it, and so we kept it."

And Elba's story is backed up by Garcia, who added: "[Elba] just shouted it out. He was talking trash, shouted it out, and we said, ‘This is incredible!’

"The line was his… so he ran with it. He loved it, and that line really stuck, and we’re so happy the fans responded to it."

Last month, Elba admitted he was "disheartened" over some of the backlash to the suggestion of him taking over the role of 007.

"You just get disheartened, when you get people from a generational point of view going, 'It can't be', he said.

"And it really turns out to be the colour of my skin. And then if I get it and it didn't work, or it did work, would it be because of the colour of my skin? That's a difficult position to put myself into when I don't need to."

Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw will be released on August 1 in the UK and August 2 in the US.


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