In the latest Ladbrokes odds, Irish star Aidan Turner’s chances of replacing Daniel Craig as 007 have been slashed, and Tom Hardy, who is a firm fan favourite, and who has dominated the ‘next James Bond’ conversation for the last couple of years, is also taking a backseat to Bridgeton heartthrob Rege-Jean Page, who is the current ‘most likely’ pick, according to Ladbrokes.
Rege-Jean Page’s Ladbrokes odds are 7/2, while Aidan Turner’s and Tom Hardy’s are 6/1 respectively. Henry Cavill is a tied third with Turner and Hardy, also with Ladbrokes odds of 6/1.
The next most likely candidate after these guys is James Norton (8/1) and behind him Richard Madden (9/1). Then the high paying outliers are Idris Elba with odds of 10/1 and Sam Heughan with odds of 16/1.
For those that have enjoyed Hardy’s performance as Alfie in Peaky Blinders and Farrier in Dunkirk (or Bane in The Dark Knight Rises), and who are keen for a Bond with a history of playing villains, this might be slightly disappointing news. But don’t worry: Hardy is still very much in the running, just with slightly better paying odds than Rege-Jean Page.
With Daniel Craig now definitely retiring as Bond, Rege-Jean Page told The Mirror last year: “Ah, the B word. I think if you are British and do anything of note, that other people take notice of, then people will start talking about that.”
“That’s fairly normal and I’m flattered to be in the category of Brits that people have noticed.”
Rege-Jean Page
He refused to be drawn on his intentions, though, adding: “The concept of having plans in this moment in history is mildly hilarious. I’ve given up making them.”
As for Hardy, he hasn’t wanted to say much, for fear of jinxing his chances, but he has been a smidge more vocal about wanting to play James Bond.
“I’d love to play Bond with Chris Nolan or something. It would be awesome” he said in 2012 on the radio. A few years later, speaking to In:Demand Showbiz, Hardy said: “I think every boy wants to play James Bond to a certain degree.”
A few years after that Hardy told The Daily Beast: “If I mention it, it’s gone. You know, there’s a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it you’re automatically out of the race. So I can’t possibly comment on that one.”
And so the waiting game continues.
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