Idris Elba
Will Idris Elba play James Bond one day? Reuters

British actor Idris Elba has given fans the biggest hint that he may be the first black actor to play James Bond.

During a recent Q&A on Reddit, the Mandela star admitted he would love to take over from Daniel Craig when his tenure ends.

When a Reddit user asked: "If it were offered to you, would you be the next James Bond?" Elba answered: "Yes, if it was offered to me, absolutely."

Elba was first linked to the iconic 007 role back in 2012, when Skyfall Bond girl Naomie Harris claimed the London-born actor was in talks with producer Barbara Broccoli.

"I didn't realise that there was this talk and then I did a film with Idris and he said that he met [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli and that it does seem like there is a possibility in the future that there could very well be a black James Bond," she said at the time.

Although becoming the next Bond could be a huge career boast Elba, 42, he has been somewhat coy about playing the much-loved spy.

''I don't want to be the black James 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,'' he previously said.

Meanwhile, the Wire star has also revealed his favourite Disney film is Mary Poppins. He said: "Classic, man, just classic. The songs, the animation, amazing."