James Bond: Bodyguard star Richard Madden has odds SLASHED on replacing Daniel Craig

Madden plays David Budd in the BBC drama Bodyguard, which has been an undisputed success for BBC One over the last fortnight.

Now, his odds of taking over from Craig in the 26th James Bond movie have been slashed from 33/1 right the way down to 10/1.

Ladbrokes spokesperson Alex Apati said: “Richard Madden has impressed viewers and punters alike in the BBC’s new hit show, and we reckon he’s got a genuine chance of swapping Budd for Bond.”

Tom Hardy remains at the front of the market on 2/1, with Idris Elba drifting back out to 4/1 and James Norton slipping to 11/2, after previously being a long-term frontrunner.

Jack Huston and Sam Heughan are on 8/1 with eternal contender Tom Hiddleston, while Madden shares 10/1 chances with Poldark’s Aidan Turner.

Any female actor can be backed at 12/1, with Henry Cavill on 14/1 and Cillian Murphy on 16/1.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that over the weekend rumours emerged that Barbara Broccoli is hoping to delay Daniel Craig’s exit altogether.

Craig is confirmed to appear in the next film in the series, but had indicated that he plans to step down after that.

However, with Broccoli now thought to be reconsidering her plan to kill off Craig’s incarnation of 007, it seems she may hope to persuade him to stick around.

“Daniel now has a huge role on the film along with Barbara, and she doesn’t want to kill his character off completely,” a source told the Mirror.

“She thinks Daniel could be encouraged to come back for another film.

“And since Danny [Boyle] quit as director, Barbara has taken on a new motto: When in doubt, go back to the original Fleming material.

“So that is what they are doing now after the chaos.”

That plan to have Craig’s Bond meet his demise is what allegedly drove Boyle towards the exit, and no replacement director has yet been announced.

It is thought that the whole furore could delay the movie by up to a year, though this has not been confirmed as of yet.

For now, James Bond 25 remains due to release in November 2019.