Tom Hardy overtakes James Norton as bookies’ new favourite to play James Bond

The Taboo star is currently the frontrunner to take over from Daniel Craig 
Frontrunner: Tom Hardy is now the favourite to play James Bond
Jonathan Brady/PA
Jennifer Ruby18 January 2017
The Weekender

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Tom Hardy has over-taken James Norton and Aidan Turner as the bookies’ favourite to play James Bond.

The British actor, currently starring in the BBC’s Taboo, is now the frontrunner to take over from Daniel Craig as the next 007.

According to Paddy Power, Hardy is being backed by the public after a flurry of bets, slashing his odds to 6/4.

This now puts him ahead of previous favourite Norton, who is now at 9/4 to play the secret service spy and Turner who is at 10/3.

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Hardy seemed to cement himself as a favourite this week after saying that he didn’t want to ‘jinx’ his involvement in the famous film franchise.

Addressing the speculation, the 39-year-old told the Daily Beast: “You know, there's a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it you're automatically out of the race.

“So I can't possibly comment on that one! If I mention it, it's gone.”

Hardy went on to say that he would love to see frequent collaborator Christopher Nolan direct a Bond film.

“Chris Nolan, what a fantastic director for a Bond movie. Because Daniel [Craig] is so good, and what [director Sam] Mendes and Barbara [Broccoli, producer] have done has been so impressive, that it would be a very hard re-imagination to follow after,” he said.

“I wonder what the next instalment of that franchise would become, and I think when you mention someone like Christopher Nolan, that's a very powerful figure to bring into that world who could bring something new and create something profound - again.”

Despite the fact that Craig is yet to actually confirm that he has stepped down from the role, a number of actors have been touted as possible replacements.

Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, Jack Huston and Henry Cavill are all reportedly still in the running.

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