There’s been a ton of junk that came out of the Sony hack, ranging from Kevin Hart being called a “whore,” Angelina Jolie described as a “spoiled brat” and, of course, what black films President Obama might like. However, out of all of hat stuff, there apparently was something positive that Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair Amy Pascal discussed in her emails: Idris Elba as James Bond. The Daily Beast’s report leads me to think Pascal was adamant about this happening, at least to some degree.
Well, first, I won’t take back anything I originally wrote about the emails reported on by other outlets. There are too many emails that reveal what a lot of Americans already know — that Hollywood’s built to exclude the stories of non-white Americans. But what I will say is that I have to agree with Pascal, I too want to see Elba as Bond.
Secondly, I would hope that the Bond movie starring Elba won’t be too far off; Sony’s still got a long ways to go before they get their credibility and standing back with Hollywood business people and actors alike, since several bridges have been burned. Also, Sony has to regain the trust of their employees; the fourth suit against Sony has been filed, stating that Sony had a security problem for decades but allegedly neglected to fix it. Pascal has since hired the fixer Scandal is based on, Judy Smith, to help bring Sony back to its former glory. I don’t know exactly what she’s going to do, but it’s going to have to be a lot, I’d imagine.
Third, if there’s any way to start rebuilding trust between viewers, particularly black viewers, and Sony, casting Elba as Bond wouldn’t be a bad way to start. Sony has really made folks upset with emails featuring disparaging comments about the President, Hart and even Denzel Washington. If Sony wants to make black viewers feel like Sony does indeed value black actors and black money, making a black Bond film should be something that’s signed off on pronto. Of course, one film isn’t going to solve all of Sony’s problems on that front, but it’s a start.
Whatever happens, I hope that the Bond film starring Elba would surpass my expectations and become one of the coolest, if not the coolest, Bond film ever (even cooler than Skyfall, which was extra cool). What do you think about Elba as Bond? I know a lot of people have wanted to see him as the character for years. Leave your comments below!
Elba in Luther. Photo credit: Robert Viglasky/BBC
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