James Bond: MAJOR contender to replace Daniel Craig rules himself out? ‘It’s just noise’

Ever since Bodyguard premiered on BBC One late last summer, Richard Madden has been considered a strong contender to replace Craig as the iconic spy.

As the months have ticked by, the attention on him as a potential James Bond has not died down – and in fact he remains the outright bookies’ favourite, after very recently taking over from Tom Hiddleston.

But in a new interview, he appears to have played down the whole fuss.

“It’s all just noise,” he told Elle magazine.

“By March [it’s not specified when this interview took place], there will be another British TV show with another young male actor, and then he’ll be the next James Bond for the following two months.”

This echoes what he previously said back in November last year.

“This is what happens with all these shows, like Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager,” he told GQ. “Then there’s the next one. I’m the next one.

“I’m very flattered and thankful. It’s a really brilliant thing to be in.”

He added at the time: “I don’t want to curse anything by saying anything.

“I think that’s the curse of that. If you talk about it, you’ll curse it.

“I love the movies. I’ve read all the books.”

For now, Madden is promoting his new movie Rocketman – a musical fantasy based on the life of Elton John, in which Taron Egerton plays the iconic musician.

Hiddleston remains a hairline behind Madden in the betting: with Ladbrokes, Madden is at 3/1 while Hiddleston is on 4/1.

Cillian Murphy is on 5/1 alongside Idris Elba; while James Norton follows at 6/1.

Tom Hardy is on 7/1, with Aidan Turner on 12/1. “Any female” can also be backed at 12/1.

The next Bond movie in the series – ostensibly Craig’s last – is out on April 8, 2020.