With the clock ticking on Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond as No Time To Die approaches theaters this fall, the long held 007 debate is receiving a major shake-up. More well-known stars such as Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston have been in the running, with fans regarding their thoughts on who should replace Craig after the 25th Bond flick. There’s a new top pick for the MI6 spy, and it no longer belongs to Outlander’s Sam Heughan.
A United Kingdom betting shop called Coral has just released new odds for who may take the mantle of James Bond (via Sunday Express). Sam Heughan still managed second place among the list of actors, but the top contender for the role is McMafia’s James Norton. Here he is:
Yeah okay, I can see why. Just look at how the 34-year-old English actor can hold himself in a tux? The unique charm an actor like James Norton has is he’s a familiar face, but not so much so that we’d call him by his name and forget he’s Bond every once in a while. Other favorites for the role such as Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy or Richard Madden have already made big names for themselves.
The odds place James Norton at 6/4 odds, over Sam Heughan’s 3/1. His rise in status must have a little something to do with his leading role in the popular British crime drama series McMafia which also airs on AMC in the states. A second season was also recently in the works. Other than that, Norton recently played husband to Emma Watson’s Meg March in Little Women and has had roles in Black Mirror, Flatliners and Rush.
It’s a bit of a blow for the Outlander star who recently joined fans to campaign for himself to become the second Scottish Bond, following Sean Connery. Since the 40-year-old heartthrob showed up in 2018 comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, he’s been a reigning favorite. Last month, Heughan said this in response:
Obviously it’s a dream for every actor... I auditioned for it back when they were doing Bond 21 — when Daniel Craig was cast in Casino Royale and I think a lot of actors were seen in the U.K. Of course it would be a dream role. And a Scottish Bond, who doesn’t want to see another Scottish Bond?!
We’ll have to wait and see if this call for James Norton starts to blow up over the idea for Sam Heughan taking on the role. Other actors in the odds are Tom Hiddleston at 5/1, Richard Madden at 6/1 and Tom Hardy’s 8/1. But before we get serious about the next James Bond, No Time To Die will pick up where Spectre left off when it hits theaters on November 25. Who would you pick to play 007? Vote in our poll below.
This poll is no longer available.
