Well, punters know a couple of things about James Bond. Firstly that current Bond actor Daniel Craig is done with the role. His final appearance as 007 comes in the April release of Time To Die.
Another thing we know is that in mid-January, producers said that the role had to be fulfilled by a male, of any colour. So that shut the door on history being made of the first-ever female Bond.
What nobody knows, is who the next James Bond will be.
Peaky Blinders star attracts attention
The Next James Bond betting market has gotten a little interesting over the last few days. Most of the attention has gone towards Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy who is at 10/1 to be the next Bond* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes on February 13th, 2020 at 03:12). Some bookmakers earlier this week, had reported a sizable flurry of action on the Cork star in the Next James Bond betting market.
Next James Bond Betting odds*
James Norton 7/4
Richard Madden 3/1
Tom Hiddleston 6/1
Sam Hueghah 8/1
Jack Lowden 8/1
Tom hardy 8/1
Aiden Turner 10/1
Idris Elba 10/1
Cillian murphy 10/1
Michael Fassbender 12/1
Henry Cavill 16/1
Henry Golding 20/1
Jamie Bell 30/1
Chirs Hemsworth 20/1
Damian Lewis 20/1
50/1 bar
* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes on February 13th, 2020 at 03:12)
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Norton’s “meetings”?
But that current price on Murphy leads him out around the same price as Aiden Turner and Idris Elba. The quote of 10/1 leaves him a long way from the current favourite of James Norton. The Happy Valley and Grantchester star has come into the fray because of his role in McMafia. He also earned huge plaudits for his recent role in The Trial of Christine Keeler.
Last month rumours were floating around that the 34-year-old had been in secret talks with James Bond producers about taking on the much-coveted role. Apparently, there had been meetings at the back end of 2019 as well as some script readings happening.
The rumours were that both parties are trying to get a deal signed off and that leaves Norton as the clear 7/4 favourite in Next James Bond betting* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes on February 13th, 2020 at 03:12).
But then, in this often wildly unpredictable market, in early February Madden went on Chris Evans’ radio show and categorically shut down any rumours about it all, saying that he hadn’t even had a conversation with anyone about it all.
Madden the man?
So should that shift attention to Richard Madden? It is expected that relatively soon after the release of Time To Die in April, the announcement of the new Bond will come. Madden has long been in the market, but never as strong as a front runner as he currently is.
Game of Thrones’ Madden had a starring role in the BBC’s Bodyguard a couple of years ago. That really brought him onto the radar of potentially being the next Bond. The Scot has previously played down the speculation, but that was a while ago.
Again, the fact that he is as short as 3/1 shows how volatile the market is* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes on February 13th, 2020 at 03:12).
The Others Contenders
Their usual faces are still knocking around and at the moment, it’s just so hard to tell. Things change so qualify. Tom Hiddleston has never been far from the head of the market and can currently be backed at 6/1* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes on February 13th, 2020 at 03:12). Just a little longer are Sam Hueghah, Jack Lowen and Tom Hardy, the latter having been steadily trimmed recently.
Then there has been the market move by Cillian Murphy this week. Some bookmakers have left him out at 14/1 but considering he has, for a long time, been a long outsider in the Next James Bond betting market, does pique some interest.
But only because the time of a new announcement should be getting closer. Then again, this action alone on Murphy, who has started in Batman Begins and Inception, shows how much the market changes with the direction of the wind.
