Next James Bond: Idris Elba’s chances dwindle – will he be the next 007 villain?

February 22, 2022

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Daniel Craig‘s time as James Bond is over. No Time To Die shockingly killed off his version of the character, leaving an open door for the next actor to take his place. While Elba has been a likely candidate for some time in the Bond odds, his luck has run out.

Elba recently feasted off of the success of The Suicide Squad, which was released in the summer of last year. In the movie, he played the headstrong assassin Bloodsport, the killer known for putting Superman in the intensive care unit. But that seemingly isn’t enough to guarantee his spot in the next Bond movie.

Currently, Ladbrokes have given Elba a dwindling 13/2 on becoming 007 in the near future. But Bond bosses at MGM may have a different plan in place for the British star.

Bond boss Barbara Broccoli recently stated that Elba was “in talks” for the next 007 venture. She said: “We know Idris, I’m friends with him. He’s a magnificent actor. You know, [Elba has] been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have a conversation when you have somebody in the seat.”

With that said, rumours surfaced late last year that Elba will instead be taking on a villain role in the next Bond movie.

A source at The Sun claimed: “Idris has had informal talks with the studio and he has been told there is a role in the next Bond film for him if he wants it. He won’t be the title character, but they do recognise the amount of pull and respect he commands, and they want to work with him on a completely original character for the next instalment. It is still very early days for the conversations but, so far, it looks like it would be the role of a villain.”

If true, this means Elba would be joining the likes of Christoph Waltz, Mads Mikkelsen, Dave Bautista and Rami Malek as one of the more modern Bond villains.

In the meantime, Elba has three British stars ahead of him in the Bond odds.

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Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati said: “Idris Elba looked to be the most likely name to challenge the frontrunners, and while he’s still fourth in the betting, his odds have started to drift and it now looks set to be a clear three-horse race to replace Daniel Craig as 007.”

The first of three big stars beating Elba is none other than Tom Hardy, of Venom and Batman fame.

The actor has an impressive 7/2 odds on claiming the Bond role, however, he has previously stated he’ll “never” talk about becoming the character publicly, through fear of ruining his chances.

But he is being beaten by two behemoths in the Netflix world.

Just ahead of Hardy is Regé-Jean Page, of Bridgerton fame.

The British hunk currently has a wonderful 11/4 on taking the Bond role – but he has previously explained how “flattered” he is by the rumours. He assured fans nothing official had been confirmed just yet.

At the top of the leaderboard is none other than Henry Cavill. As the star of The Witcher, he has massive global appeal, and with 5/2 on becoming Bond, he has a great chance of becoming the hero next.