Tom Hanks roots for Idris Elba to play the next James Bond

Like many fans, veteran Hollywood actor Tom Hanks is also rooting for Idris Elba as the new James Bond. The hunt for the next 007 has not concluded so far and time and again, Elba's name has cropped up as one of the top contenders for the job. While speaking to BBC recently, Hanks praised Elba's performances and gave his vote to the actor to play the next Bond. 

"Understand this. James Bond has a licence to kill. I would issue that licence to Idris Elba just based on the work that I`ve seen him do," Hanks told the BBC.

Elba has long been the subject of speculation with many people linking him to Ian Fleming`s iconic character. But he has continued to deny any truth to the chatter.

His latest film, Luther: The Fallen Sun, was released earlier this year and included a scene in which his titular detective refuses a martini. Referring to the moment in the film, he had told the Radio Times, "My Bond audition? Oh my God, no! I`ve been saying for years, no... The martini line is a bit cheeky, isn`t it?"

Elba also told The Guardian around the time Luther released that he remains extremely close to Bond`s producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, but dismissed the idea of them ever offering him the role.

"I can`t speak for them, but from my perspective, there`s never been any sort of truth to any of it. It`s a compliment and it`s an honour, but it`s not the truth."

Also read: Tom Hanks' novel reveals he's not always been a nice guy on a film set

Hanks was speaking with the BBC just as his first novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, hit the shelves.

A fictionalised chronicle of the creation of a Marvel-style movie, it received lukewarm response with the New York Times writing that "charm abounds" but calling the book "too often a maddeningly excursive endeavour".