James Bond: Bodyguard's Richard Madden now bookies favourite to be the next 007

Another week, another “XXX is the favourite to be the next James Bond” story… and this week’s latest hot tip as the next 007: Richard Madden.

Bookies have slashed odds on the Bodyguard star to take over from Daniel Craig after The Mail on Sunday ran a story that suggesting Madden was going to be offered the role “in the next few days”.

According to their “sources”, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli was preparing to make a formal invitation to the 32-year-old Scot. “It’s seriously looking like he [Madden] is going to get the job. Not only is he on top of Barbara’s list, but she is preparing to offer the role,” the unnamed source claimed.

Regardless of whether any of this is true or not, bookies have responded accordingly with Betway now offering 11/10 for Madden being the next Bond, after having been as big as 14/1 last week.

The actor, who also played Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, overtakes previous favourite Tom Hiddleston at 11/4 (previously 3/1), and outsiders Tom Hardy and Idris Elba who are both now at 6/1.

Danny Dyer is currently at 500/1.

Betway’s Alan Alger said: “Since his performance in Bodyguard, there has been plenty of speculation about Richard Madden being the next James Bond and we’ve seen very strong support for this in the last 24 hours.”

Madden has been linked with Bond a number of times, with bookies slashing odds on his ascension to the role throughout the broadcast of Bodyguard. The show’s creator even tipped him as the next 007 during a Q&A for the hit drama.

As Sergeant David Budd, a personal protection officer to Keeley Hawes’ Home Secretary, Madden certainly cut an impressive action hero swathe in BBC One’s Bodyguard.

Tough, taciturn, and tortured, it’s not hard to see some Bond in Budd, but could we see Budd as Bond?

Daniel Craig still has one 007 adventure in him, with the Cary Fukunaga-directed Bond 25 scheduled for release in February, 2020. Should Madden be deigned as his replacement, it won’t be at least another two years after that before we get to see him in action.

Before then, we predict we’ll have written about another half-dozen actors who’ve been tipped as the next Bond.

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