Actor says it will take the 'will of a nation' to land him 007 role

Idris Elba has spoken out again about rumours linking him with the role of James Bond.

Elba, who has starred in acclaimed TV series The Wire and Luther and will also take on the lead role in the forthcoming biopic Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, has long been discussed as a potential replacement for Daniel Craig when he leaves the 007 franchise.

Talking to the Huffington Post, Elba said: "I say it all the time, but if it was to ever happen and if I was ever to get offered that role, that would be the will of a nation.

"That would be like, 'Wow, human beings are really powerful,"'he continued. "'They really made that happen, because [Bond producer] Barbra Broccoli certainly didn't' ... it would be the will of a nation because everyone has been saying that to me."

Previously, Elba's Long Walk To Freedom co-star Naome Harris revealed that Elba had met Broccoli to discuss the possibility of playing the famous spy. According to Paddy Power, meanwhile, Elba is currently third favourite at 5/1 to take home the 'best actor' gong at next year's Oscars for his performance in the Mandela biopic, which is based on the politician's own autobiographical book, Long Walk To Freedom, published in 1994. William Nicholson, Oscar-nominated for Gladiator and Les Misérables, wrote the script.

The film opens in US cinemas on November 29 before getting a UK release on January 3, 2014. To watch a trailer, click at the bottom of the page.