Idris Elba has told how "disheartened" he was left by the backlash to the idea of him playing James Bond.

The actor has been rumoured to be taking over the role of 007 from Daniel Craig for years, and while many fans would be eager for him to play the famous spy, others are...less enthusiastic about the idea. The 46-year-old Luther star told Vanity Fair:

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

He added that while he hasn't been offered the role (yet), he wouldn't turn it down if he got the call asking him to play 007. He said:

"James Bond is a hugely coveted, iconic, beloved character, that takes audiences on this massive escapism journey. "Of course, if someone said to me. 'Do you want to play James Bond?,' I'd be like, 'Yeah!' That's fascinating to me. But it's not something I've expressed, like, 'Yeah, I wanna be the black James Bond'."

The upcoming Bond 25 will be the last time that Daniel Craig will play the role of James Bond.

The film, which will hit cinemas in April 2020, sees Bond living a "tranquil life in Jamaica" after leaving active service.

The summary continues:

"His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help.

"The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. "