Next James Bond favourite smashes past Henry Cavill and Tom Hardy | Films | Entertainment

Anyone not sure whether Aaron Taylor-Johnson has the physical presence and attributes to step into the James Bond tuxedo just needs to look long and hard at the spectacular pictures below. The British actor was a rank outsider in the race to replace Daniel Craig but has shot to the top of the Bond odds, wiping out former hot shots like Henry Cavill and Tom Hardy. Taylor-Johnson has started proving he can handle and helm gritty action roles with his most recent movie and now the new Calvin Klein campaign proves he is ready to slip in and out of any of the classic Bond looks. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL SET OF PICTURES OF AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON MODELLING CALVIN KLEIN

Taylor-Johnson is the perfect fit for the reported requirements of Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson. They have made it clear that the next Bond will not be a woman, despite a campaign by many famous names, and that he could be of any ethnicity as long as he is British.

It has also been reported that the producers are looking for someone under 40 to take on a role that could last at least a decade.

Taylor-Johnson has just proved he is in fighting shape in the latest images for the “Calvin or nothing” campaign, with the headline, “Strong presence.”

Coral spokesman John Hill told Express Online: “Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the name everybody is backing to replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond. He is now odds-on for that role for the first time since opened betting on this market several years ago.”

The bookies has Taylor-Johnson at 4-5 odds, followed by Happy Valley, Grantchester and McMafia star James Norton on 3-1. After being out in front for so long, Cavill has slipped back to 7-2, while Hardy is languishing behind on 5-1.The former also turns 40 this year while the latter is already 45.

The rest of the list includes odds of 4-1 for Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page, 6-1 for original overwhelming favourite Idris Elba, 13-2 for Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12-1 for Aidan Turner and 12-1 for Jamie Dornan.

Taylor-Johnson will turn 33 next June and is perfectly poised to take up the role. Not only do the producers want an actor who can potentially play the role for the long run, they are also said to be looking to reboot the franchise after Craig’s incarnation died by starting with Bond at a younger, more callow stage of his life.

Taylor-Johnson famously broke through in the lead role of 2009’s John Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy, when he was 18. He 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.

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