Did you know there are actual bets taking place on who will be the next James Bond? As someone who has been known to play the odds every now and then, I can tell you it's possible to bet on literally ANYTHING, but many may not know gambling on the future 007 is a very real thing. It may not surprise you to know that fan-favorite Idris Elba sits at the top of the betting heap for the role once Daniel Craig retires, but now a new contender has unexpectedly shot up the ranks.
U.K. bookmaker William Hill has suddenly shot ex-Homeland star Damian Lewis up the charts, moving him from a 25/1 longshot to a 3/1 favorite. Elba still is the clear frontrunner at 5/2 odds, while Tom Hardy is 4/1, Henry Cavill is 5/1, and Michael Fassbender is at 7/1. Of all of these guys, only Cavill has a spy flick coming this year in The Man from UNCLE, so we may see his odds improve.
A spokesperson for William Hill is at a loss to explain it, saying “This is an unprecedented gamble, as for no apparent reason we have seen bets of up to £200 [$312] on Damian Lewis being named as the next Bond. This could well be significant and might herald the end of Daniel Craig as the world’s most famous spy."
Does any of this mean anything? Probably not, but one has to imagine the only people making bets on something like this are people in the know, right? So maybe there's more to it than meets the eye? Would you like to see Lewis as the next James Bond? The next Bond flick, Spectre, opens November 6th. [THR]
