For more than 50 years, James Bond films have been feted as the ultimate action movies, with ever more spectacular special effects, sinister villains and an endless stream of glamourous love interests.

“Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better”, Horowitz said, adding: “For me, Idris Elba is a bit too rough to play the part”.

The bookmakers’ favorite to step into Daniel Craig’s blood-splattered shoes as the next James Bond isn’t suave enough for the role, according to the author of the next 007 novel. For the author to claim that his disapproval of Elba potentially taking on Bond is due to him being too “street”, then, was always going to cause a considerable stir.

“Bond is weak in it”, Horowitz said about Skyfall.

In the same interview, Horowitz also touched on the issue of whether a black actor should be cast as Bond.

“Secondly, the villain wins”. And tell your bad guy where you are, so he will arrive with six people to kill her?

But he went on: “Quantum Of Solace just went wrong, Skyfall is my least favourite – I know it is heresy to say so, but it is the one Bond film I have never liked”.

Mendes returns with the next Bond film, Spectre, which premieres in the United Kingdom October 26 and on November 6 in the U.S.