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Few entertainment wagers have the shelf life of the lingering James Bond bet. You’ll find it at many an entertainment betting site, asking bettors to wager on who will be the next actor to don the suit and tie.
Bets will be shaken, not stirred.
The beauty is two-fold. On one hand, it’s just fun to think about who will come next in a long line of surprisingly great James Bond actors. On the other hand, nailing the correct actor wins you bragging rights and potentially a bunch of cash.
Daniel Craig is almost certainly done with the franchise once Bond 25 is in the rearview mirror.
He’ll go down as possibly the best Bond ever, but either way, it will be very interesting to see who joins a lineup that includes heavy-hitters like Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton, among others.
James Bond Odds
With Craig on the way out, the franchise must still go on.
This isn’t Indiana Jones or some series that says they’ll just have one icon and then be done. No, Bond will live on forever and their strategy has proven to work for decades.
Every Bond has their spot in film history, but they’re ultimately successfully replaced. The newcomer just needs to pull off that secret agent look, carry some sharp wit and not be afraid of danger.
They don’t need to be a hulking brute. They just need swagger, good looks and confidence. Judging by My Bookie’s latest James Bond odds, the list is bountiful.
It’s actually absurdly long, though, so I’ll break down the best options into two groups – actors I think have a solid shot and the elite betting values that shouldn’t go ignored.
Top Contenders
- Idris Elba (-190)
- Tom Hardy (+380)
- James Norton (+500)
- Sam Heughan (+550)
- Aidan Turner (+600)
- Cillian Murphy (+600)
- Jack Huston (+750)
- Tom Hiddleston (+1000)
- Michael Fassbender (+1300)
- Jaime Bell (+1300)
- Jude Law (+1500)
- Henry Cavill (+1500)
- Dan Stevens (+1500)
- Jack O’Connell (+2000)
- Damian Lewis (+2800)
- Andrew Lincoln (+3300)
I really only put Elba at the top because My Bookie likes him the most at the moment. It was recently reported that he responded with a firm “no” when asked if he’d be taking on the secret agent as a role.
With Elba seemingly out of the running, this race for the next Bond lead gets pretty interesting.
Tom Hardy owns the next best odds and considering how perfect he’d be and how he’s expressed interest in the past, he leads the way as the main threat.
There are a few things that can get you off of Hardy’s scent, of course.
For one, he’s a busy man. He has his own show (Taboo) and he’s part of two rising franchises – Venom and Mad Max. Just how time consuming those (and other) projects end up being could throw a wrench in his plans to play this part.
It is worth noting that former Bond alum Pierce Brosnan gave his endorsement to Hardy and many of the top entertainment betting sites feel he’s the pick.
There is enough working against Hardy to convince me to look elsewhere, however, at least for the moment.
If it’s not Hardy, though, then who?
There are several viable options. I think the mere fact that Elba was so highly touted for this role suggests that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a white guy or even someone that is british.
Or, you know, even a guy at all.
Gillian Anderson and Kristen Stewart aren’t fits for this role, but the fact that they have odds does make you wonder what other actresses could pull it off.
I don’t see any that should be listed among the favorites or the top betting values, but I certainly can think of a few women that probably should.
Gal Gadot is one name that comes to mind.
That being said, it looks like more run of the mill options, but I’m not exactly sure that’s a bad thing.
James Norton has expressed interest in the role and by all accounts seems like a good fit. Ditto for Jack Huston, Dan Stevens and pretty much everyone with some of the better odds at MyBookie.ag.
Of the lot, though, Andrew Lincoln really stands out.
He offers very interesting value at his +3300 price and he did just announce he was leaving The Walking Dead. The brit has certainly displayed his range as an actor over the years and I have little doubts he’d crush this role.
Now that he’ll have some free time on his hands, could he fancy himself the next Bond? Doing a move like that once every couple of years would keep the cash flow coming in, while it’d still allow him to get back to his family most of the time.
I like Lincoln and a few other options, but I’d be lying if I didn’t feel that all roads lead back to Tom Hardy. Before I hand him the tuxedo, though, let’s dip our toes in the tempting waters of true betting value.
Elite Betting Values
The options here aren’t favorites – not by a mile – and they’re also far from the only true values you’ll find over at My Bookie.
Again, the list is exhaustive. I don’t think for a second everyone mentioned there is worth a look, so I tried cutting it down to my favorite picks that I’d actually consider wagering on.
- Christian Bale (+6000)
- Ryan Gosling (+8000)
- David Oyelowo (+8000)
- Benedict Cumberbatch (+8000)
- Colin Farrell (+16000)
- Kit Harington (+16000)
- Clive Owen (+16000)
- Chris Hemsworth (+16000)
- Sam Worthington (+20000)
I don’t think Farrell, Harington, Cumberbatch or even Gosling are necessarily what this role needs and wants, but they still are fantastic acting talents and boast intriguing odds.
The talent is there to potentially sway me should they get handed the role, but of this group, I’d pivot away from them.
Sam Worthington has the look and acting chops to make it happen, while he for some reason comes in with the worst odds at My Bookie. That’s one flier bet I would take a long, hard look at.
There is a long line of actors with woeful +16000 odds that actually could be great. Chris Hemsworth slays in any role he takes on, while Clive Owen is probably the best play in that price range.
Owen is getting up there in years, but he’s about as slick as they come. He’d certainly be worth watching as the next James Bond.
Of the lot, Christian Bale stands out the most. He’s priced down at just +6000, but now that his Dark Knight trilogy is in the past, he may have the time to take on another iconic role.
Bale has smashed pretty much every character I’ve ever seen him take on and his turn as Bruce Wayne/Batman alone readied him for a role like this.
Ultimately, these prices are just too nice for a long list of viable acting talents that could show interest in such a huge role. Time, fit and compensation may complicate matters, of course.
Who Will Be the Next James Bond?
This remains a wide open bet. I’ve personally written up on this exact prop at other sites and I actually did it months ago. You know what’s changed? Pretty much nothing.
The only things I know for sure are that Daniel Craig won’t be playing this character forever and Idris Elba is officially out of the running.
My Bookie and other novelty betting sites haven’t updated the odds to reflect that (Elba literally announced this a day before I started writing this post), but the top favorites are still where you’re going to want to focus most of your attention (and money).
I think James Norton and Jack Huston stand out as two very dangerous contenders, but I still think this is Hardy’s job to lose if he wants it.
Hardy is as busy as anyone in Hollywood, but the fact that he takes on so many different projects and challenges himself actually favors him here.
If he gets offered the part, I don’t see much reason he actually turns it down. And if the 007 creators have their pick of all the actors listed at My Bookie, he absolutely should lead the way.
Pick: Tom Hardy (+380)
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