What Are the Odds: Who Will Be the Next James Bond?

Recent news about Daniel Craig’s acting future have resurfaced speculation over who will play James Bond in the upcoming Bond 25.

This isn’t the first time we here at Eye on Bond have speculated over who will be Daniel Craig’s successor when he exits the James Bond franchise. In fact, we’ve done it quite a bit over the last few months following Craig’s “slash my wrists” comments.

Well, we’re at it again, and here’s why.

It has been reported that Craig will star in a new television series Purity, which is allegedly being shopped around the studios looking for a straight-to-series 20-episode run.

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This led some sources to believe that Craig will be quitting his Bond role for the show, although no official confirmation has been made in that regard as of publication of this article.

However, this news only stokes the flames of rumors surrounding Bond 25 and who will end up portraying Bond therein. There are many possible contenders for the role if Craig chooses to opt out, and booking odds site PaddyPower has set the betting odds on who that lucky soul will be.

Leading the charge is the prolific-as-of-late actor Tom Hardy. The 38-year-old English actor is no slouch to action films, appearing in last year’s critically acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road and playing the baddie in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Hardy also received a recent Oscar nomination for his role in The Revenant.

Hardy seems the most likely fit, given his acting chops and familiarity with the genre. He certainly has versatility and could pull off the character. His odds are set at 6/5.

Damian Lewis and Idris Elba, too highly talked about actors for the role, are heavily favored in the pool as well at odds of 7/4 and 4/1 respectively.

Further down the list are Aidan Turner, Henry Cavill, and James Norton, all of whom look great in a suit, at the very least.

Next: Is Daniel Craig Officially Done With Bond?

Below them is Jamie Dornan, most well-known for his portrayal of Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, whose wooden acting in said film makes this writer cringe at the idea of casting Dornan as the least wooden spy around.

Some of the stranger long-shots in the pool include athlete David Beckham at 200/1 odds and rapper P. Diddy at 250/1.

As always, thanks for reading!