Sportsbet release odds on next James Bond, Hiddleston the fave

BOND. James Bond.

One of the biggest characters in the history of cinema is about to be re-cast and punters have jumped at the chance to pick the next actor to don the tuxedo.

Tom Hiddleston, best known for his work as Loki in Thor and the Avengers, is the odds-on favourite to replace Brit Daniel Craig at just $1.50.

Mad Max: Fury star Tom Hardy remains the best-backed by the punters, but has drifted out to $10.

Surprisingly, Sportsbet faces its largest payout on Aussie Hugh Jackman should he get the role. Big bets were placed at high odds of $67 and $51 – he is now rated a $16 chance.

Some punters may remember that Jackman was widely tipped to get the part back in 2005, but was overlooked for Craig, who delivered three of the best box office-performed James Bond films of all time. It’s unlikely that Jackman, now in his 50’s will land the gig.

Hiddleston has moved into $1.50 from $3.00 at the beginning of May to pull clear of Irish actor Aiden Turner ($3.80) and Damien Lewis ($4.50).

“The race to replace Daniel Craig is picking up pace and Tom Hiddleston is the name on everyone’s lips right now but we have hope that Jackman might get a shot at the role and make amends to the world for George Lazenby,” said sportsbet.com.au’s Will Byrne.

Next James Bond?

$1.50 Tom Hiddleston
$3.80 Aidan Turner
$4.50 Damian Lewis
$10 Tom Hardy
$11 Henry Cavill
$11 Idris Elba
$11 T J Ramini
$13 Stephen Amell
$16 Hugh Jackman
$21 Luke Evans
$21 Jack O’Connell
$26 Michael Fassbender
$34 Orlando Bloom
$34 Tim Roth

Others quoted