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Henry Cavill came so close to being the next James Bond way back in 2005, with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell later admitting he was the only actor seriously considered apart from Daniel Craig. At only 22, the Superman star was too young at the time and, by his own later admission, not in good enough shape. His devoted fans were sure it was finally his time after Craig exited the role after No Time To Die but now it seems he has the opposite problem – which has opened the door for a new left-field actor to swoop in.
Earlier last year, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson gave some very clear clues about what they are looking for in their next Bond. Broccoli publicly stated the next Bond would be a British actor and male. It was also reported that production company EON was only looking for actors who were under 40 years of age and over 5’10 in height.
Just before Christmas a flurry of reports and leaks described how Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who had previously never been seriously discussed as a contender) had just had a series of screen tests and meetings with Broccoli and Wilson.
One report claimed: “Aaron has impressed bosses so much that he has filmed one of the franchise’s famous gun barrel teaser scenes, something all the actors do. That move takes him a step closer to signing a deal.”
Taylor-Johnson just squeaks over the height requirement while Cavill is a trapping 6 feet tall. However, the former Superman has a major problem.
The bet calculator site has pulled together all the available bonus codes and offers from a variety of leading bookmakers and revealed there is now one clear and undisputed favourite to be the next Bond.
Ace Odds told Express Online: “Leading the way is Aaron Taylor-Johnson with a 36% chance for suiting up for the role, followed by Henry Cavill at 31% and Bridgeton royalty Rege-Jean Page at 15%.”
Their collated odds are 7/4, 9/4 and 11/2 respectively. The leading trio are followed by Norton on 7/1 and Hardy on 9/1. Laviscount is still an outsider on 12/1 but has made extraordinary gain since he was completely off the list at 100/1 just two weeks ago.
SEE THE FULL LIST OF ODDS AND PROBABILITIES BELOW:
Intriguingly, Cavill has just been removed from the Superman DC film franchise with reports new Warner Bros DC boss James Gunn wants to reboot the story with a younger Clark Kent. Now it seems the Bond franchise is likely to do the same and Taylor-Johnson is perfectly poised to swoop in.
He famously broke through in the lead role of 2009’s John Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy, when he was 18. The actor subsequently started a relationship with his 42-year-old director Sam Taylor-Wood and the couple married in 2012.
The actor is also set to debut in 2023 in the lead role in the upcoming Sony Spider-verse blockbuster Kraven The Hunter.
Cavill, meanwhile, has also left his Witcher franchise but has already announced a major new deal with Amazon Studios to bring Warhammer to the screen with a first-look refusal guarantee on any other game adaptations.
