This is my (mostly) weekly column in which I discuss whatever’s on my mind Sometimes it will have nothing to do with Apple, as is the case this week.
I’ve said before that my personal choice for the next James Bond is Aidan Turner. Apparently we’ll have to wait a couple of years to see who gets the coveted role as James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli says it will be “at least two years“ before the next 007 movie begins filming and that the task of finding an actor to replace Daniel Craig hasn’t begun “because it’s a reinvention of Bond.”
But that hasn’t stopped the speculation. VegasInsider.com has been monitoring odds data of more than 20 bookmakers, creating an average on who will be the next 007 in the upcoming James Bond movie.
Regé-Jean Page, the “Bridgerton” breakout star, maintains his leading position, with current odds of 273/100, implied probability 26.81%. (+1.31% increase). (And he’s my second choice for the next Bond.)
“Page has been at the top of bookmakers’ lists for a while,” says a VegasInsider spokesperson. “His recent Netflix-hit, ‘The Gray Man,’ certainly helps him to stay on top of people’s minds.”
In a surprising turn of events, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Academy-nominated actor most known for his leading role in “12 Years a Slave”, climbs to the second spot for the James Bond role in the most recent odds update – 269/50 odds, implied probability 15.67%. (+9.66% increase since last tracking)
“In the last few months, Ejiofor’s odds have been slowly but steadily improving,” says a VegasInsider spokesperson. “If the upward trend continues, he might take over Rege-Jean Page in the next few weeks.”
Daniel Craig’s 007 co-star, Naomie Harris, backed up Ejiofor for the Bond role in June, and his odds have been rising ever since then. Harris said to Good Morning Britain:”We were walking the red carpet yesterday and apparently Chiwetel’s name is on the list of people to be the next Bond. I didn’t know this but I’m down for that!”
Idris Elba, most recently starring in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” also maintains his third spot with odds of 28/5, implied probability 15.15%. (-31.33% decrease since last tracking)
In 4th place is Henry Cavill, who is already set to portray another British legend, Sherlock Holmes, in the second installment of “Enola Holmes.” His current James Bond odds are 143/25, implied probability 14.88%. (-35.86% decrease since last tracking)
Tom Hardy is in the 5th spot with odds of 143/30, implied probability 12.27%. (-25.91% decrease since last tracking).
Check out the attached chart for the top 20 contenders for the next James Bond. (BTW, the odds posted in this article are for illustrative purposes only. The data was based on betting markets offered by European operators in jurisdictions where wagering on these props is legal.)
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Have a great weekend.
