James Bond: James Norton SPEAKS OUT on being NEW favourite to replace Daniel Craig as 007

The McMafia star has been neck and neck with Hardy for months now at 3/1 and the two just keep swapping places.

But now Norton has a lead at 5/2 to replace Craig as James Bond, according to Ladbrokes.

A spokesperson for the bookmakers said: “Bond bosses are keeping everyone on their toes, but punters reckon that they’ll soon be announcing it’s Norton, James Norton, who’s their main man.”

The 32-year-old star is certainly flattered by all the rumours, after speaking out in a recent interview.

Speaking with Gentlemen’s Journal, he said: “I would love to play a Bond villain. I love Daniel Craig and I’d love him to do more films.

“He’s brought a whole other angle to the character — and long may that continue. But people love to speculate.

“Bond’s such an icon and means so much to so many, so there’s an inevitable amount of speculation. But that’s as much as it is — speculation. Very flattering, very humbling speculation.

“I often think what that seven-year-old boy in Yorkshire would think of the speculation. Being mentioned alongside the likes of Tom Hardy.”

He continued: “It’s nuts. Nonsense. Lovely, lovely nonsense. But say you want to be Bond just once and that becomes a headline. I don’t even know if I’d want to do it.”

“Would I strive for the lifestyle side of it? Not really. I don’t want to sound overly worthy — everybody loves the glamour, and I’m not one of those actors who says, ‘I’m not going to the party or wear the beautiful clothes because I’m an actor.’

“Where’s the fun in being so principled that you can’t enjoy it? Acting comes first because first and foremost I do this job to expand my horizons.”