Idris Elba Says He’s Never Truly Been ‘in the Race’ to Play James Bond Despite Years-Long Rumors (Exclusive)

Idris Elba exclusively told PEOPLE he was never actually “in the race” to play James Bond despite years of fan speculation

NEED TO KNOW

• The actor previously admitted he was honored by the Bond rumors, but he said the conversation became “disgusting and off-putting” once it became centered on race

• Elba also opened up about starring in Masters of the Universe, revealing he’s a longtime fan of the franchise 

Idris Elbaclaims he has never been in seriouscontention to play James Bonddespite years of speculation from the Hollywood rumor mill.

Elba, 53, caught up with PEOPLE exclusively at the premiere of his new movie,Masters of the Universe,in Los Angeles on Monday, May 18. During the conversation, PEOPLE asked the actor how he felt about his name being “thrown out” as a potential star of theupcoming 007 reboot.

“My name's not getting thrown out, no way,” Elba replied. “They're going younger. And I wish them all the luck of the world. I can't wait — it's going to be amazing.”

“I'm honestly not in the race ever. I wasn't in the race in the first place,” he added.

TheLutherstar previously opened up about the topic in 2023 while appearing on theSmartlesspodcast, hosted byWill Arnett,Jason Bateman, andSean Hayes.

At the time, Elba admitted he was "super complimented" over the rumors that he could stepinto Bond's shoes, but he also said he was put off by the experience when the conversation became about race.

“We’re all actors and we understand that that role is one of those sort of coveted types. It’s like being namedSexiest Man [Alive]," he said, referring to the PEOPLE title, which he wasawarded in 2018.

"But being asked to be James Bond was like, 'Okay, you've sort of reached the pinnacle,' " Elba continued.

"Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world — except for some corners, which we will not talk about — were really happy aboutthe idea that I could be considered," he added. "Those that weren't happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it."

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Bond was last played byDaniel Craigin 2021'sNo Time To Die.Others whohave played 007includeSean Connery, David Niven,George Lazenby,Roger Moore,Timothy DaltonandPierce Brosnan.

Elba's name entered the mix long before Craig's final bow as Bond, when Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal revealed in a leaked 2014 email that shefelt "Idris should be the next Bond."

Bond aside, Elba is currently busy promoting his latest project,Masters of the Universe, a fantasy-action franchise centered around the hero He-Man.

While speaking to PEOPLE at the L.A. premiere, Elba — who plays Duncan, one of He-Man’s closest allies, in the film — revealed that he has been a lifelong fan of the franchise.

“Masters of the Universewas my thing,” he said. “It was something that I watched a lot as a kid.”

“To get to play Duncan and change him —  make him to look like me — was a real treat. I got to be a bit comedic and big, so I went for it,” Elba added.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I've done quite a few action films over the last three years,” he continued. “Some a little bit more cerebral action, likeHijack, but this has been a lot of fighting. I have to stay in shape so I can run and punch.”

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May 23, 2026

Idris Elba Says He’s Never Truly Been ‘in the Race’ to Play James Bond Despite Years-Long Rumors (Exclusive)

Idris Elba exclusively told PEOPLE he was never actually “in the race” to play James Bond despite years of fan speculation NEED T...

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Jon Favreau explains why“ Mandalorian and Grogu” doesn't have the classic “Star Wars ”opening“ ”crawl

Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau explain why The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't open with the traditional Star Wars crawl.

Key Points

• Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy previously told Entertainment Weekly that all future Star Wars films would use the iconic yellow text.

• Instead, Filoni and Favreau say they're saving the crawl specifically for Skywalker films.

Notice something missing fromThe Mandalorian and Grogu?

No, we're not talking aboutAhsoka or Admiral Thrawn.The big-screen adaptation of the popular Disney+ show doesn't feature another familiar component of theStar Warsuniverse — the iconic opening crawl.

The apparent omission comes despiteLucasfilmpresident Kathleen KennedytellingEntertainment Weeklyin 2023that those blocks of bright yellow text would continue sliding across the screen in all of the franchise's future films.

Instead,The Mandalorian and Grogu, now in theaters, delivers some opening context in a light blue font that remains stationary against a starry backdrop.

DirectorJon Favreauand his co-writer, Lucasfilm presidentDave Filoni, join EW'sDebunkedvideo series to explain.

"We've only seen the crawl in the Skywalker saga films," Favreau says, referring to the prequel, original, and sequel trilogies. "Solodid not have a crawl.Rogue Onedid not have a crawl."

Filoni notes that all the spinoff films and Disney+ series feature "a blurb that explains some context" thatStar Warsfans should know before they dive headfirst into a galaxy far, far away.

"Ahsokahas a version of a crawl, but we put it in red, and it's strictly vertical. It doesn't go back," he adds. "So we find different ways to do it."

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For Filoni, these blurbs are a way to capture "the serial vibe" of the franchise. "But the classicStar Warscrawl is something that we try to reserve only for saga-type films," he says.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Favreau, meanwhile, vividly remembers seeing the very firstStar Warscrawl in theaters as a child.

"Such an iconic opening. So that's why we don't use the crawl for everything inStar Wars," he remarks. "There's so muchStar Warsnow, so Dave has explained, we save it for the saga."

And, sorry to the Skywalkers, but this is Mando (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu's time to shine. The bounty-hunting father-son duo makes the hyperjump from their Emmy-winning seriesThe Mandalorianto the big screen as they head out on a dangerous new adventure. Joining Mando and Grogu on their journey is Sigourney Weaver, who also participated in theDebunkedseries to address a theory that her character, Colonel Ward, might secretly be an Imperial spy.

"Is it possible? Well, it's an interesting question. You know, politics is difficult and creating a New Republic is difficult," she says. "This is a difficult job that she has, and I think she's been in the service a long time, so I guess it's possible, but unlikely that this woman who came up during the rebellion and is an X-wing fighter pilot would spend one second entertaining the idea of spying for the evil empire."

She adds, "I decide! Today! Now! No!"

The Mandalorian and Groguis in theaters now. Watch Pascal, Filoni, Weaver, and Favreau react to even more movie theories in the video above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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May 23, 2026

Jon Favreau explains why“ Mandalorian and Grogu” doesn't have the classic “Star Wars ”opening“ ”crawl

Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau explain why The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't open with the traditional Star Wars crawl. Key Po...

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The best 'Star Wars' Easter eggs hidden in 'The Mandalorian and Grogu'

Spoiler alert! We're discussing a few plot details from "The Mandalorian and Grogu" (in theaters now), so turn away if you haven't seen the movie yet and don't want to know.

As long asthe Mandalorian and Groguhave been traipsing around the galaxy, "Star Wars" fans have been pointing at the screen and proclaiming, "I understood that reference."

"The Mandalorian and Grogu" is packed with scenes that echo classic moments from "Star Wars" history. The snowy opening action sequence evokes the Hoth battle that started "The Empire Strikes Back," and when the Hutts make Mando fight a giant snake, it's like a mashup of the trash compactor from "A New Hope" and the Rancor pit from "Return of the Jedi."

But beyond the obvious callbacks, "The Mandalorian" has always been a gold mine of more obscure "Star Wars" references, Easter eggs and cameos for diehards to eat up, and the film is no exception. Here are the best ones you may have missed.

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Martin Scorsese's character is related to Jon Favreau's from 'Solo'

Martin Scorsesehas a fun role as an alien fry cook, who gives Mando information on his quest. The legendary filmmaker's character is an Ardennian, a monkey-like alien species created for the 2018 Han Solo spinoff movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story."

In "Solo," Han met an Ardennian pilot named Rio Durant, who was voiced by "Mandalorian and Grogu" director Jon Favreau.

But these two aren't just the same species. Scorsese's character is named Hugo Durant, so he is apparently a relative of Rio Durant from "Solo" (though Rio doesn't appear in "Grogu" after dying tragically in "Solo"). The first name of Scorsese's character is presumably a nod to the director's 2011 movie "Hugo."

Sigourney Weaver's deck of cards has a link to Han Solo

When Mando tellsSigourney Weaver's Colonel Wardhe'll take out "every bad guy in your deck of cards," he isn't being metaphorical: She has a literal deck of cards, each of which has the name of an Imperial warlord on the New Republic's radar.

These are modified versions of playing cards from a deck of sabacc, the card game Han Solo was playing when he won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian, as mentioned in "The Empire Strikes Back" and depicted in "Solo: A Star Wars Story."

The cards Ward shows Mando come from an adapted sabacc deck that the New Republic created. According to the 2024 book "The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire," each card in the deck features "the last known image of a wanted Imperial fugitive," and the goal was for these cards to circulate throughout the galaxy and help the wider population to identify the Imperials.

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A fight sequence brings a classic 'New Hope' prop to life

Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) is forced to fight in what is dubbed a Dejarik match, where creatures are unleashed in an arena.

It's called that because Dejarik is the holographic game Chewbacca and R2-D2 played on the Millennium Falcon in "A New Hope" in the scene where C-3PO memorably recommends that R2 "let the Wookiee win." The game, which popped back up in "The Force Awakens" and "The Rise of Skywalker," uses holographic versions of alien creatures as the pieces.

So in "Grogu," the arena fight with all the creatures is essentially a Dejarik game come to life, to the point that the arena's floor is even designed to resemble a Dejarik board.

Rotta the Hutt's baby photo is a sneaky callback

"The Mandalorian and Grogu" isn't our introduction to Rotta. Jabba's son was also a significant character in the 2008 animated film "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which involved Rotta being kidnapped by Count Dooku. But Rotta was still a baby in that movie, making him essentially Baby Jabba, years before we had a Baby Yoda.

So in "Grogu," when the Hutt twins show Mando a hologram of Rotta and note he has had a growth spurt since then, it's both a joke about how out of date that image is and a nod to how he looked the last time fans saw him. The hologram in "Grogu" is an impressively faithful recreation of Rotta's appearance from the "Clone Wars" movie.

Fan-favorite animated characters jump to live action

Speaking of "The Clone Wars," "Star Wars" fans who only watch the live-action material may not even realize Embo, the bounty hunter who captures Mando, is a returning character.

Embo was introduced on "The Clone Wars" animated series in a 2010 episode. The show established Embo's relationship with the Hutts, for whom he worked as a bodyguard, and he also had wolf-like pet on the show like he does in the movie.

Zeb, the purple alien from the New Republic who teams up with Mando, isn't new, either. He's from the Disney XD series "Star Wars Rebels," which featured Zeb fighting the Empire alongside fellow rebels Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren, all of whom were brought to live action in the "Ahsoka" show.

A prequel alien species makes a return

A number of familiar alien species pop up, but there's one in particular that prequel fans should get a kick out of. The scary-looking fellow who Mando encounters on his way to see Lord Janu (Jonny Coyne) is an Iktotchi named Hogsbreth, played by Matthew Willig. That's the same kind of alien as Saesee Tiin, a member of the Jedi Council in "The Phantom Menace."

Carl Weathers gets a touching homage

Fans picked up on this one when it appeared in the trailer, but during the sequence after the gladiator battle where the creatures get loose, a sign can be seen written in Aurebesh, the "Star Wars" galaxy's fictional alphabet. Translated to English, it reads "Weathers Apollo," a nod toCarl Weathers. The "Mandalorian" actor, who also played Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" movies, died in 2024 at age 76.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'The Mandalorian and Grogu' Easter eggs 'Star Wars' fans will love

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

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May 23, 2026

The best 'Star Wars' Easter eggs hidden in 'The Mandalorian and Grogu'

Spoiler alert! We're discussing a few plot details from "The Mandalorian and Grogu" (in theaters now), so turn away if yo...

Read More

Social Media Star Laura Clery Says Her ‘Worst Nightmare’ Came True After She Was ‘Almost Killed’ by Falling 600-Lb. Fridge

Laura Clery is reflecting on the scary moment her kitchen fridge unexpectedly fell on top of her

NEED TO KNOW

• In a social media post, she revealed that her son was attempting to climb on the appliance, pulling it out accidentally as he did so

• "When I tried to push it back, it fell on me and was fully crushing me," Clery shared online

Laura Cleryis calling the moment her 600-lb. fridge fell on her the "most terrifying night of my life as a single mom."In a series of posts across her social media platforms and her Patreon, the social media star and comedian, 39, revealed that her 7-year-old son, Alfie, was attempting to climb on her fridge when she noticed it "shift slightly" in a way that made her "stomach drop." After running to push it back in place, the appliance suddenly came crashing down on her."The full weight of it slammed me backward into the kitchen island, pinning my lower back and hips," she wrote on herPatreon. "I couldn't move. I tried to push it off and it didn't even slightly budge. It felt like pushing against a building."Clery said she quickly realized that the situation was worse than she expected. "Like, not 'This will be a funny story later' bad. This is 'I might genuinely be in danger right now' bad," she described, adding that her breathing started to "go."

"I could feel it getting harder to inhale, like my body was just slowly deciding to shut down," she said, sharing that her younger daughter Poppy, 5, started to cry.

In a post to herFacebookaccount, Clery shared a photo of herself wearing a neck brace in the ambulance while receiving oxygen. "I want to f#%king sue the contractors who installed this fridge," she wrote to her 14 million followers.

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"This is a nearly 600 pound stainless steel French door fridge that was NOT properly mounted into the wall. Because of that, my 7 year old was able to pull it forward, and when I tried to push it back, it fell on me and was fully crushing me. It nearly killed me. And it could have absolutely killed my child. This should never have been possible. This was negligence," she shared.In another post on Instagram, Clery shared a video of herself being wheeled into an ambulance as she spoke with paramedics. She called the incident the "most terrifying night of my life as a single mom."

"My kids were in the house. I genuinely didn't know if I was getting out of that alive," she wrote. "Thank God my phone was in my pocket and I was able to call 911. Thank god it didn't fall on my kids. It took three firefighters to lift it off me. I'm still shaking."Stephen Hilton, Clery's ex-husband also weighed in on the scary moment, writing on his Facebook account about the incident, "She literally thought she was dying. Still feeling devastated . Go straight to JAIL, whoever is responsible for this …."

Across social media, Clery boasts nearly 25 million followers. She gained prominence through her comedic sketches and characters on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, and documents her life as a single mom. She also talks openly about Alfie's autism diagnosis, and how she has learned to manage it as a single parent.

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May 22, 2026

Social Media Star Laura Clery Says Her ‘Worst Nightmare’ Came True After She Was ‘Almost Killed’ by Falling 600-Lb. Fridge

Laura Clery is reflecting on the scary moment her kitchen fridge unexpectedly fell on top of her NEED TO KNOW In a...

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Ex-Prince Andrew investigation widens following Epstein file release

LONDON – British police investigating formerAndrew Mountbatten-Windsoronsuspicion of misconduct in public lifeare also assessing claims of misconduct includingpotential sexual crimes.

On Friday, May 22, investigators renewed their appeal for witnesses to come forward. "Our misconduct in public office investigation is continuing. Misconduct in public office is a crime that can take different forms, making this a complex investigation," Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wrightsaid in a statement.

Police say they are assessing reports "that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes." The woman has not been named.

Police said they had "engaged with the woman's legal representative to confirm that, should she wish to report this to police, it will be taken seriously and handled with care, sensitivity and respect for her privacy and her right for anonymity."

Former Prince Andrew, 66, was arrested in Februaryon suspicion of misconduct in public office during his time as U.K. trade envoy, a role he held from 2001 to 2011. Misconduct in public office is a complicated offense that covers many different forms including fraud, sexual misconduct and willful neglect of duty. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Andrew, stripped of his royal titles andevicted from his home at Royal Lodge, has continuously denied allegations against him.

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"The investigation is examining a number of aspects of alleged misconduct following the release of files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the United States," the statement said.

Documents released by the U.S. Justice Department indicate that Andrew allegedly passed confidential government information to Epstein during his time as U.K. trade envoy. Police say they have spent the months since Andrew's arrest working with the U.S. Justice Department to gather further information that may be related to the investigation.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's trafficking victims, said she wascoerced as a teenager into repeatedly having sex with the former princeas part of Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. Giuffre died by suicide in 2025. Andrew has denied Giuffre's allegations against him.

Thames Valley Police said Friday that officers "are actively supporting national policing in contacting Epstein victims and survivors."

British mediareportedFriday that detectives are concerned the public may think the ongoing investigation into Andrew is solely focused on the passing of confidential information, which is why they are renewing calls for witnesses to come forward and drawing attention to the myriad behaviors that might constitute misconduct.

"We hope that anyone with relevant information will come forward whenever they are ready to engage with us; our door is always open," the statement said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ex-Prince Andrew investigation widens following Epstein file release

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May 22, 2026

Ex-Prince Andrew investigation widens following Epstein file release

LONDON – British police investigating formerAndrew Mountbatten-Windsoronsuspicion of misconduct in public lifeare also assessing claims...

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