The author of the latest James Bond novel backpedaled after a comment about British actor Idris Elba created a bit of a stir.

“In an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper published over the weekend, Anthony Horowitz, the author of the new Bond novel ‘Trigger Mortis,’ said Elba is ‘too “street” for Bond,'” the AP reports. Elba has been rumored to be on the short list of possible replacements for Daniel Craig in the next 007 movie, and would become the first black actor to play Bond if he were cast, the report notes.

Horowitz was quoted saying: “Idris Elba is a terrific actor, but I can think of other black actors who would do it better. It’s not a color issue … Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.”

The AP report notes: “Horowitz said Tuesday he was thinking of Elba’s gritty detective role in the BBC crime drama ‘Luther’ during the interview, and didn’t mean to cause offense.”

In a statement posted on Twitter, Horowitz said: “In the article I expressed the opinion that to my mind Adrian Lester would be a better choice but I’m a writer not a casting director so what do I know?”