British actor Idris Elba (Thor, Luther, The Wire) has thrown himself again into the running to be the next James Bond, should current 007 Daniel Craig leave the franchise.

“I’d definitely consider it,” Elba told NPR.

He then elaborated that if he was on his way to a meeting with Sony studio executives, he would use any means necessary to show he has the right stuff for the role:

“I’d not only get in the cab, but I’d take the taxi driver out of the car, hostage…jump out while it was moving, jump onto a pedal bike that was just past the door as I got on it, and then get onto a plane—on the wing—land on top of Sony Studios, slide through the air conditioning, and land in the office.”

But Elba made clear he just wants to be Bond, not “the black Bond.”

“Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond, and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond, so if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”

(Well, actually Craig was/is called “The Blond Bond” by many.)

I have no doubt Elba would make a great James Bond, regardless of the color of his skin. The real question is: Can he make James Bond suave again?

Craig has produced some excellent Bond films, but 007 has been distinctly different in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, more physically intimidating and brutal than before. He shoots hostages, bursts through walls, and breaks peoples’ faces on sinks. This is all well and good for a gritty reboot, but when will the self-assured, unflappable Bond make his return?

Elba’s Bond could very well be the key. He closed his NPR interview saying, “I’m never shaken or stirred.”

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