Will Tom Hiddleston Be The Next James Bond? UK Bookie Suspends 007 Betting
Tom Hiddleston, star of The Night Manager, could play the famous British spy 007 in the next James Bond movie, and UK bookies are offering 2-1 odds on the actor, or at least they were until yesterday.
The British betting house Coral suspended bets on the actor’s chances of becoming 007 after a particularly large wager made them nervous, spokeswoman Nicola McGeady told the BBC.
“There is no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we’ve had no choice but to pull the plug on the market.”
Tom was given 2-1 odds on becoming the next James Bond until a large bet pushed his odds even further to 1-2 and the gambling house Coral suspended betting on the actor’s chances of being the next 007.
There's A LOT of evidence that suggests Tom Hiddleston IS the next #JamesBond: https://t.co/1s7CEkZZDC pic.twitter.com/2MNWZyQNHg
— HELLO! (@hellomag) May 14, 2016
The rampant speculation gained steam after Hiddleston was seen meeting last week with James Bond movie director Sam Mendes and 007 producer Barbara Broccoli at club Soho House in London.
British betting house Ladbrokes is also offering odds Hiddleston will take over the 007 spot from Daniel Craig and become the world’s next British super spy. Both bookmakers have Tom as the odds on favorite to be the next James Bond followed by Aidan Turner, Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill, according to the BBC.
“Earlier in the year there was a gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis, but nothing has come close to the recent gamble on Hiddleston.”
It's now a legal requirement for all interviewers to ask Tom Hiddleston about James Bond: https://t.co/mjJa0ZIMa5 pic.twitter.com/Gc4YKO5zx2
— Vulture (@vulture) May 7, 2016
Elba and Lewis were the favorites for the 007 job, but the changing odds suggest they’re no longer in the running to be the next James Bond.
If Hiddleston does become the next British super spy he could use his personal life as background experience to help him play 007. In Ian Fleming’s classic books, the fictional character James Bond went to Eton College, the same as Tom.
Hiddleston appeared in Crimson Peak, played Loki in Thor and F. Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris, but it was his role in BBC’s The Night Manager that made many critics see him as the next James Bond. If Tom is chosen to be the next 007, he’ll probably leap at the chance, according to the Express.
“I’m a huge fan of the series. I simply love the theme tune and the mythology. I love the whole thing. If it ever came knocking it would be an extraordinary opportunity.”
Tom Hiddleston on #JamesBond rumors: "No one's talked to me at all": https://t.co/SfhhNBycNA pic.twitter.com/mzdqrlNhn0
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 7, 2016
Whether the role of James Bond is actually open, however, remains up for debate. Hiddleston was on the Graham Norton Show last week, where he said no one has approached him about becoming the next 007, according to the BBC.
“The position isn’t vacant as far as I’m aware. No-one has talked to me about it. I think the rumors have come about because in The Night Manager I play a spy and people have made the link.”
Homeland star Damian Lewis is also trying his best to be tapped as the next James Bond and has even gone so far as to send selfies of his abs from the gym.
The rampant speculation on the role of 007 comes after Daniel Craig told the Mirror he didn’t want to continue starring in the James Bond movie series.
“We’re done. All I want to do is move on.”
What do you think? Should Tom Hiddleston be the next 007 in the James Bond franchise?
(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for BFI)
