Up until now, everyone has been talking about Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Tom Hiddleston, with honourable mentions for Aidan Turner and James Norton. But it seems another popular actor has his own licence to thrill. Cillian Murphy is suddenly a hot new favourite to enter Her Majesty's Service. The Peaky Blinders leading man has rocketed up the bookies' charts following news that there may be THREE more seasons of his hit TV show on the way.

Ladbrokes just made the shock announcement that odds on Murphy had suddenly halved after a mysterious "flurry" of bets. Do people know something we don't? A spokesman said: "The name's Murphy, Cillian Murphy, if the latest bets in our book are anything to go by." Murphy is now firmly in the race to be the next James Bond on 10/1, closing fast on Tom Hardy and Idris Elba on 5/1. At the moment, Hiddleston on 5/2 is neck and neck with Bodyguard hunk Richard Madden on 3/1. Murphy's boost follows exciting news from the Peaky Blinders makers.

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Steven Knight, the gangster show's creator, teased plans for “at least” two more series after the fifth hits screens this summer. He added the upcoming episodes are the “best yet”. Steven revealed: “We just finished shooting a week and a half ago. Series five is done." 42-year-old Murphy plays Tommy Shelby and the latest series ended with the Shelby family finally confronting mob boss Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody). The next series is expected to focus on Tommy’s worsening mental health when the drama returns to BBC One in the summer of 2019. Murphy's busy schedule will not be a problem for any Bond hopes, since Craig's final outing isn't expected to hit cinemas until February 2020.

James Bond 25: Peaky Blinders Cillian Murphy to have three more series?