Cillian Murphy arriving at the London Film Festival Premiere of The Party, at the Embankment Gardens cinema, London. Picture date: Tuesday October 10th, 2017. Photo credit should read: Matt Crossick/ EMPICS Entertainment.

Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy could be set to don James Bond’s iconic tuxedo, as his odds of taking on the role after current actor Daniel Craig have tumbled.

Bookmakers Betway now have the 42-year-old at 100/30, putting him in second place behind joint frontrunners Richard Madden and Tom Hiddleston on 2/1.

Numerous A-list actors have been linked with the role of Ian Fleming’s iconic spy, including Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Damian Lewis and James Norton.

Read more: Selfie teases Idris Elba as future Bond

Murphy’s odds have dramatically fallen from 7/1 in the last 24 hours.

The Dunkirk actor was talked about as a favourite to take on the Bond role when director Danny Boyle was set to direct the next instalment in the spy franchise, but his name has now resurfaced.

Bodyguard star Madden and Hiddleston, best known as Marvel Cinematic Universe villain Loki, have been long-time frontrunners in the race to replace Craig, who is expected to bow out after the next film.

Daniel Craig is set to step away from the James Bond role after the upcoming 25th film in the spy franchise.

Craig agreed to reprise the role once again after months of speculation, sparked when he made comments on the press tour for previous film Spectre that suggested he would not be returning.

Cary Fukunaga, who helmed the first season of True Detective, is set to direct the 25th Bond movie, which will be Craig’s swansong.

The movie is rumoured to have the working title Shatterhand and is due to go in front of cameras this year.

Read more: Bond fans unimpressed by rumoured title

Craig has portrayed Bond in four movies already since Casino Royale in 2006 and will be the longest-serving 007 in history by the time the new movie hits cinemas in April 2020.



