'The Umbrella Academy' emerges as frontrunner in the 007 betting amid reports that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have drafted a short list to find a replacement for Daniel Craig.
- Oct 26, 2021
AceShowbiz - "The Umbrella Academy" star Tom Hopper has emerged as a surprise new frontrunner in British bookmakers' James Bond betting.
The actor's odds of becoming the next 007 have been slashed from 100-1 to 3-1 at William Hill following a string of surprise bets at the end of last week (ends October 22).
The news comes amid reports Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have drafted a short list to find a replacement for Daniel Craig.
Former "Game of Thrones" star Hopper has never really been in the running for the Bond role and hasn't featured in many polls and on fan-favorite lists.
William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams says, "Tom Hopper was completely off our radar, but he is firmly on it now."
Meanwhile, another "Game of Thrones" alum, Richard Madden, and fan favorite Tom Hardy are William Hill's number two picks with 4-1 odds.
Also in the mix are James Norton with 6-1 odds and "Bridgerton" star Rege-Jean Page, who is no longer among the top three with 7-1 odds.
Page recently topped a Twitter-related poll of the most popular Bond replacements. He, however, has been insistent in playing down rumors that linked him to the coveted role. "If you are British and you do anything of repute, then people take notice and start saying the 'B' word. I think that's fairly normal," he said earlier this year.
To OK! Magazine, the 31-year-old hunk went on stressing, "It's more of a procedural thing and I'm flattered to be in the category of Brits that people have noticed but it's nothing more or less that that."
And Idris Elba, who topped a Fandango online survey earlier this month (October 2021), slides to 16-1 after he distanced himself from playing 007 in recent weeks.
