With Daniel Craig sipping his last shaken-not-stirred martini, the identity of the next James Bond continues to be one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries.
After years of rumours and speculation, top candidate Idris Elba is out of the running, with Hollywood sources revealing he is prioritising other roles.
As a result, the new top contender is 26-year-old Spiderman star Tom Holland – with Ladbrokes placing odds of 40/1 on him – though it’s unclear whether he will take on the challenge.
“Tom Holland might not be the traditional Bond type, but the odds suggest he has a slight chance of replacing Daniel Craig, and plenty of punters seem to think the same,” Ladbrokes’ Alex Aparti told Express UK.
Though Ladbrokes are still placing Superman star Henry Cavill as the favourite for the next Bond, helped by the fact he auditioned for the role back in 2005 and lost out to Craig, recent reports have revealed that producers are looking to cast an actor who is under 5’10” (178cm) and looks younger than previous Bonds, per news.com.au.
Despite these new reports, bookies have rounded out the list of likely picks for the next 007 with former Bridgerton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page, Tom Hardy of Mad Max and Venom fame, and Scottish Game of Thrones star Richard Madden.
“The race to replace Daniel Craig is firmly on,” Apati said.
According to the franchise’s producers, the next Bond film is unlikely to be in cinemas until 2025, with the eighth Bond actor to be announced in the next year.
Image: Getty Images
This article first appeared on OverSixty.