A joke about Idris Elba being James Bond was cut from Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw.
In the action flick, the British actor declares “I’m black Superman.” But that wasn't the original line. DwayneJohnson tellsVarietythat Idris was first asked to say he’s "black James Bond."
But Idris, who has long been rumored to be the next star of the spy series, passed on the line, saying it was "too close to what everybody’s talking about."
Dwayne takes credit for the black Superman line. “Everyone loves ‘the black Superman’ line. Everyone’s taking credit for it – Idris, our director, our producers, I’m sure, Jason[Statham]…[but] I came up with that. I said, ‘What about the black Superman?’’ And everyone’s like, ‘Great!’ [But] now everyone takes credit.”
Elba claims the line was "just improvised.”
Hobbs & Shaw opens August 2nd.