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​The Odds On Cillian Murphy Playing Next James Bond Have Just Been Slashed

​The Odds On Cillian Murphy Playing Next James Bond Have Just Been Slashed

Craig's last hurrah is due to be released late next year, meaning that there's not much time for bosses to settle on his replacement.

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

With the news that Daniel Craig would be hanging up his tuxedo and necking his last shaken martini came the wagging tongues that wanted to speculate who'd be the next man (or woman, it is 2018 after all) to play the iconic role of James Bond.

Craig's last hurrah is due to be released late next year, meaning that there's not much time for bosses to settle on his replacement.

via GIPHY

And one of the favourites among both bookies and fans is Cillian Murphy - and his odds have also just been slashed, meaning its starting to look increasingly likely.

According to OddsChecker, about 72 percent of all Bond bets have been placed on the Peaky Blinders star, which has meant bookies have had to respond. While his odds were a huge 125/1 just three months ago, they've now dropped to 12/1.

"The next James Bond market is immensely popular with punters, and is only matched by the next Arsenal manager market for longevity," said OddsChecker spokesperson George Elek.

"The Irishman is the darling of the Great British public at the moment, and that's replicated in who people want as their next heartthrob to play the prestigious role.

"With the amount of attention we're seeing on Murphy, bookies have had to respond, and his chances of becoming the famous secret agent are increasing more and more by the minute."

Over the many months, other favourites for the role have included Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston and, more recently, James Norton - who first came to widespread attention as the despicable Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley, but has since also graced our screens in BBC One mini-series McMafia.

BBC

007 producer Barbara Broccoli (we know, what a name, eh?), has also said that the next Bond could actually be black or a woman, in what would be a bit of a historic move.

However, another of the potential Bonds-to-be, Idris Elba, has spoken out about his concerns with that idea - having shot down suggestions he'll end up landing the role by implying that his name has only been suggested because he is a well-known black actor and not because he's the right guy for Bond.

"It's interesting that the James Bond thing continues to go," he said, speaking with the Independent.

"I think it's more about 'we just want to have a black guy play James Bond' rather than 'Idris Elba, the actor, play James Bond'. That's the part that I'm like, 'Ugh, come on.'"

In other words, don't get your hopes up on Elba - you're better off putting your money on Murphy.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: idris elba, TV and Film, UK Entertainment, Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy, tom hardy, James Bond