Maxim, you made a good choice.
The mag, which is famous for portraying scantily clad women on the cover, has decided to dip their toes in the male pool and feature a man all by himself for the September issue, marking the first solo-male cover in the publication's history—and they chose Idris Elba.
The hunky actor smolders on the cover wearing a dark coat with the words "Man Up" appropriately placed beside him.
"We've never in US Maxim history had a man on the cover solo," new editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear told Racked. "This is the very first time, and there was no one else in the world more badass than Idris.
"For me, he was really the perfect embodiment of what I think the new Maxim man is. He's multi-dimensional, he's complex, he's sophisticated, but he's down to earth. It was funny when on set, I was like, 'Is there anything this guy can't do?' He's an award-winning actor, he's a DJ, his capsule clothing line for Superdry is about to hit stores. The guy broke the [British] land speed record which hasn't been touched since like 1928. He's sort of a living, breathing superhero."
While we can't argue that Elba definitely exudes superhero qualities, we're saddened to hear that there's one particular do-it-all man he won't be portraying on the big screen.
The 42-year-old was at the center of casting rumors when fans began speculating who would become the next James Bond, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like we're going to see this handsome specimen suited up with a license to kill.
"If I were the Bond producers and everyone was pointing me toward one actor, what's the surprise in that? Honestly, it's one of those things that if it should happen, it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; it would be the will of a nation," he tells Maxim.
For the record, Elba has spoken out about the rumors before. During a Reddit AMA, the actor was asked if he would take on the highly coveted role. His response? "Yes, if it was offered to me, absolutely."
But before you get too excited, Elba had one concern about taking on the part.
"I just don't want to be called the first black James Bond. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he shared. "Sean Connery wasn't the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn't the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don't want to be called the black James Bond."
The September issue of Maxim hits newsstands tomorrow.