- Cillian Murphy has become a favourite to take over Daniel Craig as Bond
- Bond 25 is set to be Craig's last appearance in the role
- Murphy faces stiff competition from actors like Tom Hardy and Richard Madden
The odds on Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy becoming the next James Bond have been slashed.
According to Coral, a surge of bets for the Irish actor have left his chances of nabbing the role at 100/30, behind Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy and Richard Madden.
The casting would make a lot of sense, of course. He has the glacial intensity of Daniel Craig, the jaw-line of a cereal box and, perhaps most importantly, has a proven track-record of wearing very nice suits very well.
He’d also be the second Irish actor to play the role, following Pierce Brosnan’s glorious 11-year stint (the best Bond ever? The man had an invisible car, so: yes).
"Everybody is getting excited about the new series of Peaky Blinders and it seems as though [gamblers] are no different," Coral's Harry Aitkenhead told the Mirror.
"We've been inundated with bets lately on Murphy landing the role as the next James Bond and he's certainly a leading candidate now."
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It should all be taken with a pinch of salt, of course. Daniel Craig’s successor is some way off being confirmed, and any number of brown-haired men could wear a tuxedo in front of a camera before then. The race is wide open.
At least he doesn't have to compete with Idris Elba, who recently suggested that he wouldn't be taking the role. He told the Daily Mail that playing 007 would "define" him.
"Bond is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and for that reason, whoever ends up playing it, lives it," he told the journalist Craig McLean.
"You’re THAT character, and known as that character for many, many years. I’m creating characters now that can still live alongside Idris. Not ones that take over me and solely define me."
