The Next James Bond: Tom Hardy Leads the Field
By David Pegram
The Birmingham Mail has released a new set of “odds” on which actor will be the next James Bond.
Leading the field is Tom Hardy, Daniel Craig’s co-star in 2004’s Layer Cake, who is at 7-2 odds. Following Hardy are Idris Elba (6-1), Tom Hiddleston (6-1), Aidan Turner (7-1), Jack Huston (7-1), and James Norton (8-1). Michael Fassbender is a dark horse pick, at this point, at 10-1.
Longshots are Henry Cavill (20-1), Riz Ahmed (20-1), Jamie Bell (20-1), Andrew Lincoln (25-1), and Bradley Cooper (25-1).
The selection of Hardy as the “favorite” is not surprising, considering the rumors swirling about Christopher Nolan’s attachment to Bond 25. However, The Birmingham Mail has also conceded that Daniel Craig appears ready to return for at least one more film as 007. Nonetheless, the Daily Express has reported that a large bet has already been placed on Hardy to be the next Bond. According to the report, the bettor may be someone with inside connections.
Tom Hardy certainly makes sense as a front-runner. And Aidan Turner, Jack Huston, and James Norton are also solid possibilities. However, the rest of the names on the odds list have too many question marks. Elba? He’ll be 45 in September. Fassbender and Hiddleston? Possibly too status quo. Cavill? Not likely to go from Superman to Bond.
And if an American is to play Bond, why would it be Cooper? We say that Chris Pine seems more likely:
Be sure to check eyeonbond.com and @eyeonbond for updates.