Idris Elba becomes first man to appear on cover of Maxim
British actor Idris Elba has become the first man to grace the cover of men’s magazine Maxim.
The front cover of the September issue – a spot normally reserved for supermodels or scantly-clad women – was given to the TV and film star.
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“We’ve never in US Maxim history had a man on the cover solo,” Maxim editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear told website Racked.
“This is the very first time, and there was no one else in the world more bad-ass than Idris.”
The 42-year-old actor also reportedly poured cold water on suggestions he could be replacing Daniel Craig as the next James Bond.
Bookmakers are tipping either Elba and Damien Lewis as the next actor to play the spy with a licence to kill.
Elba is best known for his role as drug kingpin Stringer Bell in HBO crime series The Wire and as the lead role in Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom.
Elba will be playing the lead villain in an upcoming reboot of the Star Trek franchise.