Realistically we’re still a long way away from Craig’s successor being revealed. His last movie as James Bond doesn’t go into production until this spring, and it’ll be released in 2020. It won’t be until long after the dust has settled that boss Barbara Broccoli starts thinking about his replacement – but that hasn’t stopped fans and punters from analysing the frontrunners.
An actor who has quietly been building support is Dev Patel.
The 28-year-old Brit, who came to fame playing Anwar Kharral in the first two seasons of Skins, has enjoyed international superstardom in the likes of Slumdog Millionaire and Lion.
For the latter, he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and won the equivalent BAFTA.
Now, bookmakers Coral have told Express.co.uk that they have installed Patel into the betting at 33/1 – hardly a frontrunner, but certainly part of the conversation.
Tweets calling for his hiring have been continuous over recent years as his profile has continued to grow.
“Dev Patel as the new James Bond. You know I’m right,” reads one post.
“Why not cast Dev Patel as James Bond? Like, yesterday,” said someone else.
A post on the James Bond board on Reddit just days ago has also put focus on the star.
“For a start, he’s British-born, he looks great in a suit and he has that well-known-but-not-yet-a-household-name set of filmography, making him an ideal casting choice for 007. Oh, and his acting chops are A+,” wrote user Qoslca.
What’s more, a recent piece from Esquire about his latest hairstyle had them dubbing him “pure James Bond material”, and a quick Google search reveals several articles putting him forward.
So do frontrunners like Richard Madden, Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba need to watch their back?
James Bond 25 is out on February 14, 2020.
