The next actor to play James Bond remains a mystery, but James Norton's chances just went up after he was spotted spending time with Daniel Craig. After first taking on the role for 2006's Casino Royale, Craig bid farewell to 007 with 2021's No Time To Die. Now, coming up on two years since the release of the film, the franchise's producers have yet to announce who will be next to take on the role.

Norton has seemingly been among the front-runners to become the next James Bond for a while now, but his odds, according to Ladbrokes, went up after he was recently seen with Craig at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. While the Happy Valley star's odds were previously 4/1, the new batch of images has seen this improve to 3/1. These odds put Norton as the current second favorite for the role, according to the betting site.

Who Are The Other James Bond Front-Runners?

It must be mentioned that, as of this writing, the actual Bond producers who determine which actor will be cast in the role have played their cards close to the chest in of what stars are being seriously considered. While there has been little in of official announcements, there are several names that continue to crop up when it comes to 007 hopefuls.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is currently considered the most likely star to become the new Bond and is reported to have had a meeting with producer Barbara Broccoli earlier this year. The actor has largely avoided addressing the Bond topic, but has said that it's "flattering" that he has been a popular fan-cast for the role.

Following Taylor-Johnson and Norton, Henry Cavill is generally considered the third most likely candidate. The actor was previously up for Casino Royale, but was dubbed too young for the role, with director Martin Campbell recently expressing that, ironically, the Man of Steel star might now be too old. Other top choices for the next James Bond include Regé-Jean Page, Tom Hardy, and Gangs of London's Paapa Essiedu.

Source: Ladbrokes