Not Idris Elba; Next James Bond Named By Fans In A Poll; The Result Is Surprising

There is still one more James Bond movie coming up starring Daniel Craig, his fourth in the franchise.

The new James Bond movie is called "Spectre" and will be released by October this year.

Although his performance has fans and critics raving, talks of the next Agent 007 are already swirling around with Idris Elba making the louder noise.

While Idris Elba as next James Bond in a movie makes an appealing choice, mostly because of its probable historical significance, the "Luther" and "Pacific Rim" actor is not what most fans want, at least based on a poll held by a private firm.

Irish bookmaker BoyleSports conducted a betting poll asking who should be the next James Bond and the actor who garnered the most votes is someone who was not even in most conversations - Tom Hardy.

"The Next James Bond market has certainly come alive with all the support coming in for Tom Hardy, who is now 4/1 from 6/1 to take over from Daniel Craig," said BoyleSports spokesman Liam Glynn in a statement.

"With the support showing no signs of drying up, we are expecting Tom Hardy to be the new favorite for the role sooner rather than later, which could result in BoyleSports being hit hard if Hardy lands the role," Glynn added.

Other actors who made it to the top 10 of next James Bond actor poll are Damian Lewis and Henry Cavill. Michael Fassbender, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Dougray Scott, another "Homeland" actor Rupert Friend and Elba's "The Wire" co-star Dominic West.

This next James Bond actor poll came in the wake of the controversial comments of Agent 007 novelist Anthony Horowitz towards Idris Elba. He said the British actor is 'too street' for the role, irking fans worldwide.

"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," he said in an interview with Daily Mail.

Horowitz has since then apologized for his comments.

"I'm really sorry my comments about Idris Elba have caused offence. That wasn't my intention. I was asked in my interview if Idris Elba would make a good James Bond. In the article I expressed the opinion to that to my mind Adrian Lester would be a better choice but I'm a writer not a casting director so what do I know? Clumsily, I chose the word 'street' as Elba's gritty portrayal of DCI John Luther was in my mind but I admit it was a poor choice of word. I am mortified to have caused offence," Horowitz said in a photo tweet.

Idris Elba also responded to the author's comments in the best way possible