A Surprising New James Bond Candidate Is Dominating The Betting Odds

Over the years, there's been loads of speculation as to who will be the next James Bond following Daniel Craig's legendary decade-and-a-half run as Britain's most famous spy. Names like Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, Idris Elba, Cillian Murphy, and Mahershala Ali have all been tossed around in recent months, with Hardy regularly surfacing as the overall front-runner (via US-Bookies.com). But as of Wednesday, Dececember 22, a new actor has taken the betting lead for most likely to land the role of 007.

Since the very first appearance of Bond in a 1954 anthology episode of the television series "Climax!," there have been eight actors to don Ian Fleming's iconic moniker. Cary Joji Fukunaga's "No Time to Die" is Craig's last go as the character and people have been placing wagers on their available betting sites in regards to who will be taking his place. According to betting aggregators at US-Bookies.com, Hardy had remained the favorite to take on the famous tux, even as Elba and Cavill saw their odds spike over the past month. But that all changed on December 22, when another actor managed to jump them all. 

It appears that Marvel's "Eternals" movie has proven to be a major boon for actor Richard Madden, who has now overtaken Tom Hardy as the odds-on favorite among betters to become the next James Bond. 

According to US-Bookies, Madden currently sits at 3/1 odds for most bettors, while Hardy has now dropped to 4/1. "Richard Madden has seen a sudden spike in interest, with one in eight bets placed in the markets now being in favor of the Game of Thrones actor ... suggesting a growing public confidence in Madden becoming the next Bond," US-Bookies explained in a press release obtained by Looper. "With this influx in betting, Madden's odds have shortened enough to become the new favorite over Tom Hardy, who's been hanging around the top of the list for some time." Another actor who's been getting a lot of action is none other than Marvel's resident webslinger. 

"Tom Holland has seen some significant movement following the popularity of the latest Spider-Man film, as his odds have seen a noticeable increase recently," said US-Bookies. According to the aggregators, Henry Cavill and Idris Elba are both in the top spots behind Madden and Hardy.