Next James Bond – Odds slashed on Australian star backed by former 007

Daniel Craig dropped out of the James Bond role in 2021 after his fifth movie, No Time To Die, hit cinemas. Since then, Bond bosses have been on the hunt for his replacement. While the official announcement will likely hit in the next year, the Bond odds have placed fan-favourite Tom Hardy near the top of the list, and he has just found some new competition in a notable Australian actor.

Liam Hemsworth has just had his odds drastically cut by Ladbrokes. He previously had a meagre 50/1, but he has now been upgraded to a staggering 20/1, putting him within the upper echelons of the betting.

The Hunger Games star is making headlines after he was suggested as a great replacement for Craig by a former James Bond star: George Lazenby.

The fellow Aussie actor played Bond once in the 1969 movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He replaced Sean Connery after his five-film run.

Lazenby recently said Craig’s successor should be a “good-looking Aussie dude”, before suggesting the brother of Thor star Chris Hemsworth.

Lazenby added that Hemsworth would be “crazy enough, arrogant enough, confident enough, ambitious enough to take on the role”.

As a result, Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati said: “It’s only happened once before, but with the backing of former 007, George Lazenby, Liam Hemsworth’s odds on replacing Daniel Craig have been slashed drastically – putting him firmly among the likely contenders as things stand.”

Hemsworth’s new 20/1 odds place him shortly behind Hardy, who has a powerful 8/1 on becoming the next James Bond.

However, there is still a large gap between these extraordinary actors and the frontrunners in the Bond race.

Former Marvel star Aaron Taylor-Johnson is still at the top of the leaderboard. Ladbrokes recently gave him 2/1 odds on donning the tuxedo in the next Bond outing. His chances improved in recent weeks after sources claimed he had a meeting with Bond bosses, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson.

However, he isn’t guaranteed the role just yet. Taylor-Johnson has stiff competition in the form of Henry Cavill.

Former actor in The Witcher and Superman, the British star also has powerful odds at 2/1, putting him neck-and-neck with Taylor-Johnson. However, he might have an edge.

Cavill previously auditioned for the role of James Bond back in 2005 when director Martin Campbell was hiring for Casino Royale. Unfortunately, he lost out for “looking chubby”.

Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page is also a major contender in the Bond odds at the moment. The actor became immensely popular when the period drama first aired on Netflix, and as a result, he has become a frontrunner in the odds.

Ladbrokes currently place Page at 6/1, putting him neck-and-neck with BBC star James Norton.

Otherwise, Lazenby also added that he would like to see a woman take over the role of James Bond in the future. In particular, he suggested another major Australian star: Margot Robbie.

He said: “I would rather see a woman on screen than a man, so it might be a good idea having a woman play James Bond… Jane Bond. I think it’s a good idea. I mean, why not? There’s an Australian actress that I was just listening to on the television today, Margot Robbie. She would be good. She’s ballsy. She comes across like she’s very confident… if you can pull that off, people will believe you.”

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