Dan Stevens might one day be asking for his martini shaken not stirred as the former Downton Abbey actor is currently a favorite among bookies for the role of James Bond.
VegasInsider.com, which has monitored the odds data of more than 20 bookmakers and created an average on who will be the next 007, Stevens is currently ranked as the fifth most likely pick to take over as the iconic superspy. His odds of taking on the role are 6/1, with an implied probability of 14.29%. "Stevens had quite a few projects in 2022 that have raised his profile - Gaslit, Welcome to Chippendales, Cabinet of Curiosities - but it has happened before that someone rose quickly to the top of the candidates' list and disappeared as fast, so the next few weeks will tell whether he is sticking around," said a VegasInsider spokesperson.
Stevens first rose to prominence playing Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey. He departed the acclaimed period drama series after the third season to pursue other career opportunities. He has since appeared in the thriller film The Guest (2014), Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017) and the musical-comedy film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020). He also starred in the FX series Legion and is set to lead the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, which will reunite him with his The Guest director, Adam Wingard.
Henry Cavill Remains the Favorite for 007
Superman actor Henry Cavill has continued to hold on to the top spot as the favorite to become the next 007 with odds of 61/25 and an implied probability of 29.07%. However, despite remaining highly popular with the bookies, Cavill has suggested that he might be too busy to take on such a demanding and time-consuming role. In a recent interview, the actor stated, "I’m quite busy now. I love those guys, Barbara [Broccoli] and Mike [G. Wilson]... Whether I'm considered for the role or not, I don't know. But it'd be fun to have the conversation, for sure. And if I'm not, then I just want to see what they do with it next, because I think they’re amazing."
Regé-Jean Page, James Norton and Tom Hardy fill out the rest of the top five, with implied probabilities of 24.33%, 17.31% and 14.52%, respectively. Eon Productions, who produces the James Bond film series, has not officially cast the next James Bond yet, but Broccoli and Wilson have stated that they are looking for "a thirty-something" actor to take on the role. They have also said that the hunt for the next James Bond will not begin until sometime in 2023.
James Bond 26 does not yet have a release date.
Source: VegasInsider.com