Next James Bond latest betting odds: 5 stars least likely to play 007 in new Eon movie including Chris Eubank

Since Daniel Craig departed the James Bond franchise in heroic style in No Time to Die, the question on every fan’s lips was, who will play 007 next.

Even though Craig’s Bond was - spoiler alert - blown up by a missile barrage at the end of the last film, there’s been no doubt that the franchise wouldn’t once again be rebooted with another actor picking up the licence to kill.

Just seven actors have played Bond on screen - Sean Connery, David Niven (in the Casino Royale spoof), George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.

For a list of the actors that are most likely to play the MI6 agent next, check out our piece on the latest James Bond actor betting odds.

For the other end of the scale, these are the stars that have the longest odds of playing James (or Jane) Bond next, according to Sky Bet:

Who is least likely to play the next Bond?

Zoe Saldana: 1,000/1

The terms of Sky’s betting state that the actor must play a character with the surname Bond in an official film, which means that women are included in the betting odds, hence Salanda’s appearance. 

In many ways the role would make sense for the actress as she has starred in the three highest-grossing films of all time -  Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar: The Way of Water - so joining the cast of Britain’s biggest film franchise is a logical step.  

Chris Eubank: 1,500/1

This casting choice would definitely be a little harder to envision, which is why the former boxer’s odds are much longer. Shockingly, playing Bond wouldn’t be Eubank’s first foray into acting - he played himself in the Orlando Bloom boxing comedy The Calcium Kid, and voiced King George in animated Paramount+ film Rumble.  

Eubank has the physical prowess to take on the bad guys, but his affected posh accent, and lack of any acting talent probably takes him out of the running for 007.

Micah Richards: 2,500/1

Former professional football player and Manchester City right back, Micah Richards is another personality who is far from favourite to take over from Daniel Craig as Bond. Having recently joined Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer as co-host of podcast The Rest is Football, he is more used to shooting the sh*t than shooting baddies.

Richards has a naturally funny personality but for him fieldwork means scoring goals not stopping world war 3. Whilst he would be a welcome change from the gritty version of Bond played by Craig, we can’t see him getting the gig just yet. 

Rylan Clark: 2,500/1

Well this is definitely not going to happen. Rylan, an Essex-born TV personality who came to fame off the back of The X Factor has since worked as a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, Big Brother, and This Morning.

If anything odds of 2,500/1 is far too generous to Rylan’s chances of headlining the next £200 million plus budget spy film. It’s likely that Sky Bet have only given odds on Rylan on request as it is inconceivable that he would be offered the role. Having said that a £1 bet would return £2,500, which is quite a tempting return. 

Romesh Ranganathan: 3,000/1

Rylan isn’t the least likely TV personality to play the next Bond - according to Sky Bet, that honour goes to comedian Romesh Ranganathan. Known for his hit comedy shows The Ranganation, Rob & Romesh Vs, and Judge Romesh, it’s hard to imagine him in a serious role.

Romesh jokingly claimed in 2021 that he would make a good Bond because his average looks would help him to slip by unnoticed, though he admitted he’d probably make a better Doctor Who. With the role of The Doctor going to Ncuti Gatwa, maybe Romesh will have to settle for 007 after all.