We’re still waiting to officially find out who will follow in the footsteps of (from left) Daniel Craig, Sir Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan as James Bond (Image: Rex)
For nearly three years, moviegoers have frantically speculated about who would replace him. Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, and now we may have another clue to the answer.
This is because the bookmakers have stopped betting.
Craig, 56, left the franchise when he gave up his license to kill in 2021 following the release of No Time to Die, his fifth film as the iconic spy.
Since then, we’ve seen a wide range of contenders mentioned for the role, from Idris Elba (who dropped out of the running), Henry Cavill and James Norton, who previously came in second, to potential rising stars at Netflix like Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey, The Gentlemen’s Theo James and Leo Woodall, who played Dexter in the emotional miniseries One Day.
However, in recent months, one British actor has been tipped as the front-runner, with rumours circulating widely as reports emerged that he had filmed the famous gun barrel scene that appears at the start of every Bond film, as part of an audition.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, was then said to have been offered the role of a lifetime earlier this year, although this report was later denied.
The upcoming Kraven the Hunter actor, who has ignored direct questions about his own role, has been the bookies’ favourite for some time.
Craig retired from the role after 2021’s No Time to Die (Image: Col Pics/Everett/Rex/Shutterstock)
In June, Coral and betideas.com gave Taylor-Johnson odds of 4/5, making him likely to become the next 007 agent.
Now, bookmaker Coral has announced that it will stop betting on the next James Bond.
“We have taken our bets off the next James Bond following the huge interest in Aaron Taylor-Johnson,” said Coral’s John Hill.
“We’ll let things cool down for now, but it could be that a replacement for Daniel Craig has been found.”
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been considered the favourite to take over the role for the past few months (Image: Pablo Cuadra/WireImage)
Before betting was suspended, the actor was betting at odds of 1/2.
Taylor-Johnson recently wowed fans with a major change in his hair, as he appeared clean-shaven and shorter after years of growing a beard.
He has been busy since May working on 28 years laterbeside Jodie ComerIndonesian: Ralph Fiennes Y Cillian Murphysequel (or threequel, technically) that comes 20 years after the original film.
Sharing a photo of himself with long, slicked-back hair and a scruffy beard, the Bullet Train actor wore aviator glasses, a loose pink button-down shirt and several necklaces.
“At a glance…” she wrote alongside the image, before posting proof of her transformation in the following photo.
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“…To the others,” he finished the sentence, showing himself with short hair and a loose beard, posing for a selfie wearing orange sportswear.
The star, who has recently undergone a major transformation, saw bets on Bond suspended after he was given odds of 1/2 (Image: @aarontaylorjohnson/Instagram)
However, as there is still no official news, other actors are still in the running, such as Theo James (Image: Getty)
The star, whose most high-profile role came in the 2008 film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, has kept his beard and hair longer over the years, so fans can easily walk past him on the street and not really notice the star.
Whether these preparations have anything to do with the description of a suave spy remains to be seen.
Barbara Broccoli and her fellow producer and half-brother Michael G. Wilson are the ones in power and anointed the new James Bond in time for the next Eon movies, and so far, there has been no news on them.
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