When franchises collide… Odds on Eleventh Doctor actor, Matt Smith, playing the next James Bond have recently been slashed, fuelling rumours that he’ll be the new 007 when the long-running film series reboots.
Bookmakers William Hill sliced his odds from 40-1 to 20-1 this last week, likely due to Smith’s surge in popularity after starring in a lead role of Daemon Targaryen in Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon.
Tony Kenny head of sponsorship PR at William Hill said:
“The recent success of House of Dragon was bound to shake up the Bond market, but Matt Smith seeing his odds half for the role is clearly a major shift – one that’s worth paying attention to given the keen fan backing.
“He’s of the right age to take on the role, and has proven he’s a diverse and talented actor – and he’s no stranger to taking on an iconic British character, either.”
Matt regularly played the Doctor between 2010 and 2013, before making a brief cameo appearance in the following year’s Deep Breath.
Meanwhile, Daniel Craig played the iconic MI6 agent, created y Ian Fleming, from 2006’s Casino Royale, up to 2021’s No Time to Die. The production team is reportedly still looking for his replacement, but is said to be going in a new direction with the franchise.
Interestingly, Matt isn’t the only person who appeared in The Eleventh Hour (2010) to be in the running for Bond: Tom Hopper, who played “Get A Girlfriend” Jeff in Doctor Who, was previously 3-1 favourite, but his odds have now fallen to 25-1.
Could you see Matt as the new James Bond? Would it be cool to see him as the face of another major franchise? Or do you think someone else is a better fit?
