After years of speculation, Idris Elba has revealed that he was never in contention to play James Bond.

The Golden Globe winner admitted he was “honestly not in the race ever” as he responded to the longstanding casting rumors, now that the search is officially underway for the next 007.

“My name’s not getting thrown out, no way,” he told People. “They’re going younger. And I wish them all the luck of the world. I can’t wait — it’s going to be amazing.”

Elba added, “I’m honestly not in the race ever. I wasn’t in the race in the first place.”

The actor’s comments come after Amazon MGM Studios announced, “The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”

Deadline has confirmed that Gold is working with director Denis Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman on the search for who will next play the MI6 spy.

At Cannes, Gold told Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye that whoever they cast must “ooze sex appeal,” with the actor expected to take on the Ian Fleming-created role for at least three films.

Last June, Amazon MGM Studios officially tapped Villeneuve to direct the next installment, with Steven Knight announced to write the film amid the studio’s new 007 partnership with returning producers Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Tanya Lapointe will executive produce.

Daniel Craig played the iconic role of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021), following previous Bond stars Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.