James Bond: have the betting odds changed regarding Henry Cavill as 007 after “Argylle” flops?

It was meant to be Matthew Vaughan’s triumph return to the secret agent genre after his successes with “Kingsman” and “Kick-Ass” earlier in his career, but the release of “Argylle” in UK cinemas last week has been met with some very savage appraisal from movie critics. Despite the film knocking the recent “Mean Girls” reboot off the US box office this weekend, the film is very much being considered a “flop.”

The film, Henry Cavill’s foray into the secret agent genre after long being considered a strong candidate to play the next James Bond, earned $18 million earning the top spot over the weekend, however, the production costs for the film ranged around the $30 million mark, meaning that currently it is considered a financial flop.

That amount is compounded by several scathing reviews for the film, which currently sits on Rotten Tomatoes with a “rotten” rating of 35%. Of the film itself, the Minnesota Star Tribune remarked that “​​when the stakes change every five minutes in a movie, that's the same thing as there being nothing at stake.”

Peter Travers of ABC News was more scathing regarding some of the performances: “Forget the rumour that Taylor Swift wrote the books this sad excuse for fun is based on. Bryce Dallas Howard is wasted as a cat lady who writes thrillers—Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell play spies—but the whole plodding, cartoonish mess lands with a thud.

But perhaps the most daming comment about the film comes from Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine and Vulture, claiming “Because Vaughn never drops his fantastical, cartoonish style, “reality” ceases to have any true meaning within the context of the film; he keeps trying to up the stakes even as what we’re watching becomes less and less consequential.”

Cavill, for what it’s worth, seems to be somewhat absolved from the savaging - a relief given the terrible end to 2023 after being released from Netflix’s “The Witcher” series and being dropped as Superman from the now James Gunn-led DC Extended Universe. But has this affected the betting odds for Henry Cavill as the next 007?

What are the current betting odds for the James Bond role?

Despite the critical savaging that “Argylle” has received, Henry Cavill is still considered the second favourite to earn the role as the new 007. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is considered the favourite to earn the role. 

That is according to Oddschecker, who aggregates betting odds across several bookmakers to generate an overall view of who the favourite to play James Bond is. Taylor-Johnson and Cavill are firmly in first and second, but Damon Idris and James Norton are just a little behind the top two.

Current James Bond betting odds:

1. Aaron Taylor-Johnson - 15/8
2. Henry Cavill - 7/2
3. Damon Idris - 7/2
4. James Norton - 5/1
5. Rege-Jean Page - 11/2
6. Paul Mescal - 7/1
7. Dev Patel - 8/1
8. Tom Hardy - 9/1
9. Jack Lowden - 14/1
10. Paapa Essiedu - 14/1

When is “Argylle” out in UK cinemas?

“Argylle” is out now in cinemas across the United Kingdom.