James Norton the New Favorite to Be the Next James Bond – See Odds Here

• Due to COVID-19, the final Daniel Craig James Bond flick No Time To Die was pushed from April to a November 25, 2020 release date
• Craig has said this is his last Bond film. With no replacement locked in yet, the decision for the next actor to play Bond is still undecided
• The odds have changed drastically in this star search. See which Hollywood A-listers are close to securing this role of a lifetime

The search for casting the next James Bond has been going on for quite a while now. And with the recent impact of COVID-19 on the film industry, 007 fans are going to have to wait a bit longer to find out who will be Daniel Craig’s successor.

Speaking of Craig, he bowed out of the franchise a while back. After some hesitancy, he agreed to one last go in his run as the world’s favorite Secret Service Agent. His final Bond film, No Time To Die was scheduled for release in April.

However, since theatres have temporarily closed due to social distancing measures, No Time To Die has been pushed to November 25, 2020. Fans are going to have to wait a little longer to see Craig’s Bond curtain call.

Naturally, all these events have bought casting directors some time before they work on the next Bond installment. While fans chatter and guess, the actors being discussed for the next Bond has become a revolving door.

Early odds have changed incredibly as the search narrows and continues. Stars who seemed like a sure bet of snagging the role now have less chance. Now, newer stars are coming out of nowhere hoping for that Bond role.

Who Will Be Cast as the Next James Bond?

Odds taken April 13

Timing seems to be everything in the Bond casting hunt. Earlier on in the search, actors Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba were the most talked about choices for the role. At one point, X-Files star Gillian Anderson was in the mix too, but at this point, the odds have changed so much that she’s not even listed as a potential choice.

Hiddleston’s star power seems to have waned a bit. When choosing a Bond in the past, studios have gone for someone who was already a big star, or picked someone new and upcoming. Hiddleston runs middle ground between those camps making him a less surefire hit as 007.

The Names Less Traveled

North American audiences may not be as familiar with actor James Norton as they are with North American stars such as Hiddleston and Elba. However, one quick Google search reveals why Norton is being discussed so much for the role: He looks the part.

The chiseled jawline and slicked hair of past Bonds like Craig, Pierce Brosnan, and Sean Connery have proven Hollywood’s tendency for consistency and an unwillingness to stray from their prototype. Because history has proven audiences approve of the standard looking Bond, Norton seems a good shot.

In fact, comparing last year’s odds to updated ones, Norton and Hiddleston have swapped places. Norton presently sits in Hiddleston’s former first place while Hiddleston has Norton’s old fourth-place ranking.

Similar in looks and handsome charm, Richard Madden is also closing in the lead to securing the role. Because of his role in big films like Rocketman and Cinderella he is already a familiar face. But he’s not a household name quite yet, though landing Bond would definitely give him that credibility.

Dozens of Options

But don’t think the list of options ends there. Plenty of Hollywood stars are setting their sights on landing the role of Bond.

The growing list of famous options includes Jamie Bell and Tom Hardy, both of whom have a reasonable shot at this point in the game. But then there are actors everyone knows such as Orlando Bloom, Jude Law, and Christian Bale. None of these stars seem suitable because they’re already either aged out or too famous for the role to make sense.

Our #favourites to #play the next #jamesbond are #richardmadden #jamesnorton #tomhiddleston or latecomer #samheughan

We'd prefer #idriselba but that's seeming less and less likely!
Who do you think should be the next #007? https://t.co/Ez3CUX0b1W pic.twitter.com/prIDPIhVUY

— Pop Up York (@Popupyork) February 26, 2020

With COVID-19 still inundating the globe, we will have to wait a while longer to find out who gets cast as Bond. The wait is closing in though, and the massive wait is almost at its end in this search.

That gives Norton more time to wait around and be handed the role as the next step to his career taking off at lightning speed.

Pick: James Norton (+150)