Idris Elba shakes and stirs James Bond rumors with new tweet

Good spies know how to stoke a fire, and actor Idris Elba did just that on Sunday. A few days ago, a report in British tabloid The Daily Star hinted that Elba could be under consideration to play super-spy James Bond after Daniel Craig's next -- and last -- film.

Elba waited a respectful few days, and then threw a little fuel on the rumor fire with a tweeted image of himself and the words: "my name's Elba, Idris Elba."

Some fans are taking the tease as a hint that Elba is confirming the eventual casting. But come on, the guy who played brilliant drug kingpin Stringer Bell on The Wire and cancelled the apocalypse as Stacker Pentecost in Pacific Rim is fairly obviously just having fun with all of us. He'll likely eventually get a chance to play the part, but nothing's likely to have firmed up in the last few days.

Back in 2016, Elba called speculation that he'll be the first black Bond the "wildest rumor in the world" and wondered if he was too old for the role. (The London-born actor is now 45.)

Many fans loved the tweet. By Sunday evening, it had been retweeted more than 136,000 times.

"If you're the next Bond, it will be the first Bond film I ever see," said one Twitter user.

Daniel Craig still has one final Bond film, the yet-untitled 25th in the series, which is expected to begin filming late in 2018.

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