Next James Bond: Henry Cavill trounced as 007 hopeful ‘breaks boundaries’ | Films | Entertainment

James Bond fans were left distraught at the end of No Time To Die after Daniel Craig revealed he would be stepping down from the role permanently.

Bond bosses are working hard behind the scenes to replace him, but an official announcement will only likely be made in the coming months – or perhaps even next year.

Until then, the Bond odds are fans’ best bet on finding out who is in the running to embody the next Bond, James Bond.

And while Henry Cavill has been a mainstay in the odds for months, he is beginning to slip behind. At the moment, he has 4/1 odds on becoming the next actor with a license to kill, playing him in the top five – but this is a stark difference from where he was previously.

In recent days, Ladbrokes has reported James Norton has leapt ahead of many British names in the Bond betting, including Cavill.

READ MORE: James Bond boss ‘wept’ as they ‘kicked Pierce Brosnan to the kerb’

Norton, who garnered newfound fame in the BBC thriller Happy Valley, has shot up in the Bond odds, with an enormous 3/1 from Ladbrokes.

This now makes him joint-favourite alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who was recently rumoured to have had screen tests with the Bond bosses, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson.

Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati said: “James Norton has leapt to the head of the betting once again, with the odds suggesting it’s now, at best, a four-horse race to replace Daniel Craig.”

Evans said it “sends a message to the youth of my country [that] anything can happen”.

Elsewhere in the running, however, is Paapa Essiedu, the Southwark-born star of Men, The Lazarus Project and Black Mirror.

The 32-year-old is one of the biggest up-and-coming stars in Hollywood and is at the perfect age and notoriety to become the next Bond, James Bond.

And with 4/1 odds on claiming the role, he has a fantastic chance of securing the position in the months to come.