Ever since Daniel Craig bid his farewell to James Bond in No Time to Die (2021), everyone has been looking forward to finding out who the next James Bond will be. From Henry Cavill to Tom Hiddleston to Jamie Dornan, a lot of names have popped up in the discussion. In fact, fans even believed that the next Bond could be female.
While no official confirmation has been made about the actor lucky enough to play the British secret agent, bookies’ odds reveal the name of several contenders and where they stand in the race. While Henry Cavill’s name is unfortunately nowhere to be found, two popular actors have been mentioned by the bookies and are even on track to become the next Bond villain – Tom Hardy and Idris Elba.
Tom Hardy & Idris Elba Defeat Henry Cavill
According to Gambling.com, “Tom Hardy and Idris Elba are currently the market leaders on specials betting sites to be the next Bond villain.” While the odds for Idris Elba are 2/5 with a 28.6% probability, Tom Hardy is leading the list with 2/1 odds and a 33.3% winning probability.
Following Elba are Gary Oldman at 3/1 (25%), Cillian Murphy at 4/1 (20%), Leo Woodall at 5/1 (16.7%), and so on. Henry Cavill’s name also makes an appearance in the villain list but the actor is nowhere near the top as he sits at the eighth position with odds of 15/2 and a probability of 11.8%.
If the information is right, it looks like Hardy and Elba are going to go head to head to play the next Bond villain. Both actors are masters when it comes to portraying villains on the big screen. Elba in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises are good examples of why the two actors will be the perfect choice to play a Bond villain.
On the other hand, both actors are also contenders in playing James Bond himself, although the odds aren’t that great with Hardy at 10/1 and Elba at 9/2. It is important to note that these odds are hypothetical and provided by industry experts. There’s a good chance that the roles can go to someone completely different.
Idris Elba Shuts Down James Bond Rumors
While Elba would make a great Bond thanks to his irresistible charisma, the Thor actor made it quite clear that the rumors hold no truth to them. In fact, he even stated that he hasn’t even been a part of any kind of discussion when it comes to Hollywood’s next 007.
Speaking with The Guardian, Elba said,
“I love the Bond franchise, I’m very close to the producers. We were all kind of laughing about the rumours because they are just that.”
When asked if there were any discussions about the same, Elba denied before jokingly adding “Not that I’m going to tell you.” Upon further provoking, the actor said, “I can’t speak for them, but from my perspective, there’s never been any sort of truth to any of it.” He also added that while the rumors are nowhere near to reality, being seriously considered for the role of James Bond by the fans was a “compliment” and an “honor.”
Which actor will take upon the prestigious mantle is a question that is yet to be answered. Only time will tell who gets to say, “The name’s Bond…James Bond,” next.
You can stream No Time to Die on Prime Video.
