David Oyelowo Has Been Announced As The First Black Man To Play James Bond (sort of)

Related: 14 Greatest James Bond Lines

The names Oyelowo, David Oyelowo.

After long running rumours that Idris Elba will be the next man to step into 007’s shoes, news reaches us via The Guardian that David Oyelowo is to be the first black James Bond.

Don’t expect to see him striding into that bloody gun barrel mind - he’ll be voicing the super spy for a forthcoming audiobook version of Trigger Mortis, written by Anthony Horowitz. 

Clearly stirred (and possibly shaken) by the news, Oyelowo claimed he was “very honoured” before revealing he was specifically picked by the Fleming estate, a touch he felt was “really special”.

He added: “I am officially the only person on planet Earth who can legitimately say: ‘I am the new James Bond’ – even saying that name is the cinematic equivalent of doing the ‘to be or not to be’ speech.”

Eloquent, impeccably dressed and intense on a dime (he was a force of nature as Martin Luther King in Selma), some quarters may just be hoping the actor takes the live action role too once Daniel Craig hangs up his tux – though we’re sure Elba among others will still consider themselves well in the running.

In the meantime, it’s major news, reflecting the multiculturalism of the 21st century and of course giving us another reason to fall in love with Bond again, be it in audiobook form. 

And if you know your Bond history, you’ll will know that, technically speaking, Bob Holness was the first British man to play Bond, voicing him for a 1956 radio production of Moonraker. 

There have been a fair few blockbusters since then.