Next Bond Villain Odds: Oscar Winner Murphy The New Favourite
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Cillian Murphy was the toast of the Oscars after picking up the best actor award for his titular role in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
The 47-year-old made his name as gangster Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and Scarecrow in the Dark Knight trilogy, and he is favourite to return to being a villain in one of the most successful movie franchises ever.
The best betting sites have installed Murphy as the 1/3 favourite to be James Bond's next nemesis in the 26th movie of the series.
Winning the Best Actor award can open many doors and Murphy, who became the first Irish-born actor to win the prestigious award, is now in a position where he can pick and choose his next role.
Fellow Irish actor Pierce Brosnan believes Murphy could land the main role, saying he would be a magnificent James Bond, and he should know, after playing 007 in four movies.
If Murphy is keen on being James Bond's next villain, he faces stiff competition from a number of his peers.
Christoph Waltz and Rami Malek put in monstrous performances as Blofeld and Lyutsifer Safin respectfully in the last Bond movie, No Time To Die, after Waltz reprised his Spectre role.
Javier Bardem, Mads Mikkelsen, Robert Carlyle, Jonathan Pryce, Sean Bean, and Christopher Lee have also previously dared to go up against the suave spy in the film franchise, so there are some huge shoes to fill.
Age could count against Murphy, but having the Irishman in the movie could prove to be a very shrewd move.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli previously admitted she and co-producer Michael G. Wilson sit down with the writers to discuss who the villain will be in a movie before they start to think up a storyline.
She told the Hollywood Reporter: "We start by thinking about, 'Who’s the Bond villain?' We try to focus on that as the sort of uber story."
But who might land this extremely important role in the next Bond film?
Hardy Among The Favourites
Tom Hardy and Idris Elba are currently the second and third favourites on specials betting sites to be the next Bond villain.
Hardy is no stranger to several hard-hitting roles, including portraying evil Bane in Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises and he played both twin gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray in the film Legend.
The 2/1 chance appears to be able to turn his hand at any type of character, and he is worthy of his place among the favourites to be the next Bond villain, while Elba is 5/2 to go up against Bond.
But could one of the pair be 007 instead? Elba is currently 9/2 with Coral for the iconic role, while Hardy is best priced 10/1.
Despite this, Elba has previously ruled out the chance of becoming the next James Bond, which could pave the way for him to be a Bond villain instead.
Gary Oldman (3/1) played good guy Commissioner James Gordon in The Dark Knight triology, but he is no stranger to a villainous part after portraying the likes of Count Dracula, in 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, and a crooked DEA agent in 1994 crime drama Leon.
Leo To Be In Bond One Day?
Leo Woodall is one of the leading men on everyone's lips at the moment due to his portrayal in the latest Netflix drama series to take the world by storm - One Day.
If Bond producers are looking for a fresh-faced star to portray the next villain in their franchise then Woodall, who is 5/1 on betting apps, could be their man.
Other actors expected to be in the conversation include former Skins stars Daniel Kaluuya (8/1) and Nicholas Hoult (9/1), while 11/1 chance Iwan Rheon showed he could perfectly portray an uber-villain during his stint as Game of Thrones' evil Ramsay Bolton.
Christopher Walken (14/1) previously starred as villain Max Zorin in 1985 Bond movie A View to a Kill, but if the franchise's bosses want to play it safe then he could be a wise choice to cast again.
Or, the producers could do far worse than sign up experienced stars John Malkovich (12/1) or John Lithgow (20/1).
Come In, Miss Bellamy!
As well as 007, the character of Moneypenny - previously known as Miss Moneypenny back in the day - is expected to be recast as part of the upcoming Bond shake-up.
Naomie Harris has played Eve Moneypenny for the last three movies, No Time to Die, Spectre and Skyfall, and while she admitted to Metro in 2022 she would be up for reprising the part.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Craig's exit coincided with a change of actress to play the secretary of M, Bond's superior officer.
The Crown star Meg Bellamy - 6/1 to be the next Bond girl - is the 6/4 favourite to be the new Moneypenny, while fellow Brits Ella Purnell (2/1), and Naomi Scott (3/1) aren't far behind in the market.
Like Woodall, Emma Mackey (6/1) has wowed in a huge Netflix hit after starring as Sex Education's Maeve Wiley.
While the character has recently been played by Brits in Harris, Samantha Bond, and Caroline Bliss, Canadian actress Lois Maxwell starred as Moneypenny for the first 14 Bond movies.
French star Elizabeth Debicki has proved she can perfect an English accent after her role as the late Princess Diana in Netflix's The Crown, and she is 8/1 with new betting sites to land the Moneypenny role, while her Crown co-star Claire Foy is a 12/1 outsider for the part.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
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