Next James Bond race 'takes another twist' as odds slashed on Hollywood star

Could 2024 finally be the year when the next James Bond is announced?

Whatever the case, the latest bookies’ odds see a Hollywood star’s chances of taking up the Licence to Kill sliced.

William Hill’s Lee Phelps said: “Our search for the next James Bond could have taken another twist, in the form of Cillian Murphy. As winner of Best Drama Actor at the Golden Globes this week for his strong on-screen performances in recent times, he certainly fits the bill for the iconic role.

“The 47-year-old has been backed into 10-1 with us to assume the role left by Daniel Craig, putting him in front of previous contenders like Richard Madden and Paapa Essiedu.

“Aaron Taylor-Johnson was our favourite for the majority of 2023 and still leads the betting at 6/4, but in true 007 fashion, we can’t help but feel there are more twists to come.”

The Irish star, who is expected to win the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, has also had his odds sliced from 12-1 to 6-1 at Coral.

Take it all with a pinch of salt of course, especially given that Murphy is pushing 50 and so is probably too old to be cast as Bond now.

Meanwhile here are the full latest odds from William Hill: Aaron Taylor-Johnson is on 6-4, Henry Cavill is on 5-2, Damson Idris is on 7-2, Tom Hardy and James Norton are on 5-1 and Regé-Jean Page is on 11-2.

Additionally, Dev Patel and Paul Mescal are on 7-1, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd and Harris Dickinson are on 8-1 and Cillian Murphy is on 10-1.