Idris Elba, First Male Artist Put On 'Maxim' Magazine Cover; Addresses Casting Rumors For 'Spectre'

Idris Elba has just made history by becoming the first ever man to grace the cover of "Maxim" magazine.

"We've never in U.S. Maxim history had a man on the cover solo," Kate Lanphear, editor-in-chief of "Maxim" told Racked. "This is the very first time, and there was no one else in the world more bad-ass than Idris."

For the magazine's September fashion issue, Elba sports a black and gray leopard print coat. A feature article also has Elba discussing life, sex, movies and persistent rumors that sparked the Internet aflame late last year and earlier this year.

Rumors have it that Elba is being considered to play the role of James Bond.

However, while Elba is flattered by the news and thankful to fans who have suggested him for the part, he feels it would pre-empt the casting and "would ruin the surprise that comes with each new actor filling the role," Entertainment Weekly noted.

"If I were the Bond producers and everyone was pointing me toward one actor, what's the surprise in that?" Idris Elba said in the interview with "Maxim" magazine. "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."

In a related news, Forbes has reported that Elba's "Maxim" cover gave the magazine a record-breaking boost in advertising.

The men's magazine, which usually flaunts scantily clad women on its covers, dared to traverse a new path with Elba's cover, and it seems this sophisticated strategy is making advertisers take notice.

Apparently, the September 2015 issue of "Maxim" garnered 36 more advertisers and a 143% increase in fashion advertising pages compared to the September 2014 issue. Forbes said it was the biggest annual increase in the magazine's history.

Forbes asked Lanphear why she thinks the current issue appealed to advertisers, and she said the revamped "Maxim" was "inviting advertisers into a more elevated conversation" with an audience base that has very little duplication among media channels.

"If you want to speak to our audience, you have to go through Maxim," she said about Idris Elba being on the cover.