For some time, Bridgerton alum and future face of The Saint Regé-Jean Page has been running the show in the pack of actors hotly contested to succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. But unlike diamonds, that sort of news just isn’t forever, as we can now see in the latest update to the odds surrounding the field. And surprise surprise, Mr. Page has been upset by an old favorite in this particular game: Venom: There Will Be Carnage star Tom Hardy.
According to the latest odds from betting aggregator US-Bookies, Hardy has rallied back to the head of the 007 pack. It’s a bit of a surprise, considering how keen the world felt when casting Rége-Jean Page in the role, but it’s to be expected at a time when there’s still no official word on who Daniel Craig’s successor will be. However, as you’ll see in the current numbers for the top ten candidates, some wildly new faces have been introduced:
Tom Hardy: 9/4Regé-Jean Page: 16/5James Norton: 11/2Clive Standen: 7/1Lashana Lynch: 9/1Idris Elba: 9/1Sam Heughan: 19/2Henry Cavill: 10/1Justin Hartley: 14/1Richard Madden: 20/1
In terms of the running between Regé-Jean Page and Tom Hardy’s neck in neck 007 race, this comes after a months long span where Page ruled court. While there’s no specific cause that one could officially attribute this drop in betting odds to, one could say that Regé-Jean Page’s James Bond prospects may have slipped due to his new commitment with The Saint. Then again, Tom Hardy’s poised to break into the MCU in his Spider-Man adjacent role in Venom series, and his prospects are definitely not suffering.
Looking through the rest of the crowd that’s being evaluated for James Bond readiness, this new odds field has some big surprises sprinkled in with classic contenders. Amidst a field that’s consistently given Outlander’s Sam Heughan, Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill, and The Suicide Squad’s Idris Elba, two new names are bound to raise some eyebrows. And one of them is an American, to boot!
This Is Us star Justin Hartley has found himself included in this latest round of James Bond odds, as has Vikings star Clive Standen. Hartley is the surprise American who’s found himself coming in at odds slightly above perennial contender Richard Madden. While he’s not the first contender from the US to be mentioned in connection with the role, it does still seem rather unlikely that an actor from outside of the UK would even be considered.
Meanwhile, Clive Standen, an English actor who may best be known as Rollo in History Channel’s Vikings, sees his odds occupying the middle of the pack. Standen ranks in just under previous front runner, McMafia’s James Norton, but right above Idris Elba and No Time To Die star Lashana Lynch’s shared 9/1 standings. Perhaps the most notable surprise in this set of data is the absence of a recently tipped contender, 1917’s George MacKay.
With recent rumors placing his name directly in the mouths of those talking over the next James Bond at EON Productions, it would be expected that he might have made some sort of blip on the radar. Frankly, that could also be considered as proof of how unpredictable rumors and betting odds can be in the world of Bond. But then again, these odds merely reflect where the betting market is placing their money, and there's no official correlation between these standings and any proper consideration being taken by producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
As always, it cannot be stressed enough that we will more than likely not see any sort of official action in naming James Bond’s successor for quite some time. No Time To Die hits UK cinemas on September 30th, with October 8th seeing US theaters taking part in Daniel Craig’s big sendoff. Only after that film’s promotional machines have cooled off, should we expect to see the hunt for the next Bond start to seriously gear up.
