Slowly but surely, Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is becoming a bookies favourite in the battle for Bond.
In February, the 42-year-old’s odds of replacing Daniel Craig after Bond 25 were slashed from 125/1 to 7/1, with OddsChecker reporting that 72 per cent of all bets were being placed on the Irishman. Despite the huge climb, however, he still lagged some way behind the frontrunners.
But now, thanks to a further surge in support, the azure-eyed actor’s chances now stand at 9/4 – ahead of Richard Madden, James Norton and Tom Hardy, according to Betway. Only Tom Hiddleston, the favourite at 3/1, has stronger odds.
Of course, the 3/1 presence of Idris Elba – a man who only recently strongly suggested he won't play James Bond – so high up the list is pretty odd, and indicates that it should all be taken with a few fistfuls of salt. There's a long, long way to go yet, too.
But Cillian would no doubt do a great job, with his penchant for fine tailoring and jaw like a cereal box. Speaking about his chances, Betway’s Alan Alger said: “The two Toms, Hiddleston and Hardy, had been battling it out for favouritism in the next James Bond betting for some time, but Cillian Murphy has surged into contention of late and now has a leading chance of being named 007 at just 9/4.
“The Peaky Blinders star was originally priced at 16/1, which was then cut to 7/1 early in the new year before shortening to 10/3 last month, and the latest spell of support has seen him backed in to be clear second-favourite for the role at 9/4.
“We’ve had a fair few bets land for Idris Elba to fill Daniel Craig’s shoes too and he remains a 3/1 chance.”
