Skepta says he got bored of the ‘Black James Bond’ narrative

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Mercury Prize-winning grime artist born Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr, who rose to fame with singles including “Shutdown” and “That’s Not Me”, is making his debut as a director, actor and producer with Tribal Mark. He described Tribal Mark as “an anti-hero character similar to James Bond… but more complex”, and compared the project to director Todd Phillips’ 2019 villain origin story, Joker. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up While describing the offer to play the role as “the pinnacle”, he said he would never have accepted the opportunity as it “became about race”. “Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race,” he said, adding: “It became about nonsense and I got the brunt of it.” open image in gallery Idris Elba Elba previously said of the rumours: “You know, a lot of people talk about another character that begins with ‘J’ and ends with ‘B,’ but I’m not going to be that guy.