Could John Boyega, Not Idris Elba, Be The First Black James Bond?

Since James Bond‘s first appearance onscreen in 1962, we’ve had seven actors — all white men, of course — play the iconic MI6 agent across 26 movies. Now, it seems the world is ready for a change, with people calling for the next Bond to either be a black man, a woman or a black woman.

Right now, the number one choice for Daniel Craig’s eventual successor seems to be the talented and charismatic Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation, Luther). But BAFTA-winning filmmaker, Noel Clarke (Kidulthood) seems to think John Boyegawill actually be the first black actor to take on the role.

According to Clarke, the world isn’t quite as ready for a black Bond as they think. He believes another white man will replace Craig for about six or seven years, and by the time they are finally ready for a black man to take on the role, Elba — who is currently 45 — will be too old.

Speaking with Talk Stew about John Boyega playing the first black Bond, Clarke said:

“I think John Boyega could be James Bond. Will be James Bond.

There will be another white guy, that guy will do six or seven years, and then John Boyega will be about the right age and so John will be the next one.”

We actually think he makes some good points. While white actors rarely need to prove themselves before they are handed roles as big as this, a black actor will, unfortunately, need to have proven his bankability — which Boyega already did last year, landing on Forbes’ top-grossing actors list.

So, if Clarke is right, Boyega — who is currently 25 — still has a couple more years to prep for the role of a lifetime. For the white actor who could replace Daniel Craig, names like Michael Fassbender, Luke Evans and Tom Hiddleston have been mentioned on multiple occasions.