There's no doubt that fans of the James Bond franchise have been kept waiting this year.
No Time To Die - reportedly Daniel Craig's last appearance as the lead, and the 25th installment in the series, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the ongoing plot on a cliffhanger, with Blofeld captured, and Bond leaving MI6 with Madeliene Swann at the end of SPECTRE.
Take a look at the trailer for the latest Bond film, entitled No Time To Die, in the video below:
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For years now, fans have been debating who should be the next actor to don the tuxedo and sip vodka martinis. A number of names have been suggested over the years, with everyone from Henry Cavill to Idris Elba suggested as possible candidates.
But now, it seems as though English actor Tom Hardy is the new bookie's favorite for the role of the world's most famous spy, James Bond, after bets on his casting were suspended today.
Per a recent report by The Evening Standard, the odds on Hardy have skyrocketed from 6/1 to 1/1, with bets on him being the frontrunner for the coveted role now being closed to the public.
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Runners up included James Norton at 9/4, followed by Idris Elba at 11/2, Sam Heughan at 6/1, and Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden at 7/1.
Hardy has played a variety of iconic roles in blockbusters over the years, including hulking supervillain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, a post-apocalyptic road warrior Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road, and a number of gangsters, such as Al Capone, Alife Solomons, and even both the Kray twins at the same time in Legend.
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Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson told The Standard:
“For years we've heard speculation about who will replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, and finally it seems that English heart-throb Tom Hardy is the man for the role."
"The versatile Hardy would certainly be a popular choice – and attracted 54 percent of all bets in the 24 hours before the market was suspended.”
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No Time To Die, (directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and featuring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ana de Armas, and Ralph Fiennes) was originally scheduled to be released in April 2020.
But due to lockdown measures, it will now be released on November 12 in the UK, and on November 20 in the US.