Typical Maxim covers include scantily clad women or the "it" actress of the moment. Or a scantily clad "it" actress. But September's cover has something in store for those who crave hunkiness and a British accent.
Idris Elba has become the first man to cover Maxim by himself, and the smoldering actor looks great doing it.
"We've never in U.S. 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 multidimensional, 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," Lanphear continued.
Millions of Elba fans probably wouldn't disagree with anything Lanphear said.
In the cover story, Elba addressed recent rumors that he would become the next James Bond and once again stated that he's not in the running.
"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 told Maxim.
"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."
I don't care if Elba ever gets a chance to play Bond; I'd much rather see someone develop something original specifically for him.