James Bond author Anthony Horowitz has come under fire after he said British actor Idris Elba - a hot favourite to replace current Bond Daniel Craig - is "too street" for the role.
Horowitz told The Daily Mail: "For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part. It's not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too 'street' for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah."
Correct us if we're wrong but wasn't the whole idea for Daniel Craig's Bond to be more "rugged"? Why is it that Craig has the luxury of being "rugged" yet Elba is "rough"? Since Horowitz says it's not about race, he reckons there are "other black actors who would do it better", naming Hustle actor Adrian Lester.
Um, nope. Elba is the perfect replacement for Craig - and a great choice for the dubious honour of being the first black James Bond. Here are 6 reasons why.
1. He can drive a race car
James Bond and car chases go together like martinis and olives. So it's good to know Elba can put the pedal to the metal - he's even set a land speed record (watch the video below). Perhaps he could save Sony a few bucks on their stunt man budget?
2. He already knows Miss Moneypenny
Naomie Harris was Elba's co-star in Long Walk To Freedom: she played Miss Moneypenny in Skyfall and she'll be back come November in Spectre.
3. He's posh enough to meet the Prince of Wales
Need we say more?
4. He's a master of disguise
Spies need to be versatile. Elba is actually a DJ, so he could easily infiltrate a night club if James Bond needed to go undercover.
And, if 007 ever needed to play a military man, Idris would be very convincing.
5. He can pull off the whole "British" look
Look at him in a poor boy cap and a gorgeous coat. So British, no?
6. And, did we mention he really, really looks good in a suit?
The most obvious prerequisite for any actor who'd like to play the suave spy is that he must rock the hell out of a tailored suit.
Anthony Horowitz, consider yourself schooled.