Next James Bond Odds: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Still Favourite To Don The Tuxedo Next

Daire Walsh

There is no sense at the moment that an official announcement is coming, but with the new year now upon us, speculation continues to grow over who will be the next actor to take on the iconic role of British spy James Bond.

Given it is one of the most sought after roles in the global film industry – and has been whenever it was up for grabs in the past – betting sites are still offering odds on the most likely candidates to assume the mantle from Daniel Craig.

Following a long delay owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, Craig’s fifth and final entry as 007 enjoyed its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 28, 2021.

Wider releases followed in the United Kingdom and the United States, and in spite of concerns about people’s appetite to return to cinemas, No Time To Die made just under $775 million at the box office.

Co-starring Academy Award winners Rami Malek and Christoph Waltz, it grossed more than $600 million in territories outside of the USA and Canada – a sure fire example of the universal appeal that this particular franchise enjoys.

Taylor-Johnson Remains Favourite For 007 Duties

After the esteem that Craig was held in during his stint as Bond, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are understandably being very careful about who they select to take on a role that was also previously filled by the likes of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

It has also been said that – as an extension of sorts to tying down an actor to a multi-picture deal – that Broccoli and Wilson will be looking for someone under the age of 40.

For this reason, 33-year-old Englishman Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been viewed as the favourite to take over as Bond in recent months and this remains the case with a host of specials betting sites.

In addition to featuring in films such as Kick-Ass, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tenet and Bullet Train, Taylor-Johnson also portrayed John Lennon in Nowhere Boy and won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his role in Nocturnal Animals.

As it stands, he is 9/4 with BoyleSports to be chosen as the next James Bond, while even shorter odds of 7/4 can be found on Taylor-Johnson with Unibet and BetUK.

Cavill Also In The Running For Another Top Spy Role

Even though he turned 40 in May of last year – and may be seen as outside of the reckoning going by the above criteria – Henry Cavill also features heavily in the outright betting to be the next 007.

He has taken on some iconic roles on the silver screen in recent years, such as Superman, Sherlock Holmes and Napoleon Solo in the film adaptation of the 1960s TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Despite being an American character, the similarities between Solo and Bond are quite striking.

Even if the Bond role doesn’t come his way, Cavill has made a steady contribution to the spy genre outside of his work as Solo.

He showcased his action chops as a support player in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and will also be seen in the action spy films Argylle and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare later on this year.

While Ladbrokes have Cavill at 7/2 to be the next Bond, others have gone slightly shorter at 3/1.

Idris, Norton And Page Also Featuring Heavily In Outright Bond Betting

While Idris Elba has fallen down the pecking order to feature, with odds ranging from 14/1 to 25/1, his namesake Damson Idris is trending in the right direction when it comes to Bond betting.

Not necessarily a household name when it comes to the world of film, Idris is perhaps best known for his six-season spell as the lead in Snowfall – an American crime drama series co-created by the late John Singleton.

The 32 year-old hails from Peckham in London, and is listed at a tasty 9/2 with Coral, with a general 3/1 offered elsewhere.

James Norton and Rege-Jean Page have previously been amongst the chasing pack for the coveted role of Bond, and they are certainly not out of the running as far as bookmakers are concerned.

A well-respected TV actor that has starred in the likes of Happy Valley, Grantchester, War & Peace and McMafia, 38-year-old Norton was also in the 2022 film Rogue Agent – where he played Robert Hendy-Freegard, a real-life conman who tricked and convinced several people that he was an MI5 agent.

At 4/1 with the likes of Coral and Ladbrokes, there are also odds of 5/1 available with BetUK on Norton being chosen as Craig’s successor.

Meanwhile, there are three different betting apps that are offering 11/2 on Page being given the nod as the next Bond.

At 35 years of age, the London native appears to have the perfect profile to be a long-term successor of Craig and he impressed during his short spell as Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings on Netflix’s Bridgerton.

Though it underperformed at the box office, Page also received praise for his supporting part in Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves and also when featuring alongside A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans in 2022’s The Gray Man.

Mescal, Patel, Hardy And Lowden In With An Outside Shot At Bond

Coming in just behind Norton and Page are the Academy Award nominated duo of Paul Mescal and Dev Patel – both of whom are rated as 8/1 hopefuls for Bond with Betfred.

Soon to be seen reprising his role as Eddie Brock in the superhero sequel Venom 3, Tom Hardy is available at odds that range from 7/1 to 10/1 with UK bookmakers.

Currently seen opposite Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas in the Apple TV+ spy thriller series Slow Horses, Jack Lowden (14/1) is an interesting outside bet in a packed field.