Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Apati told Express Online: “Rege-Jean Page continues to lead the way in the Bond betting, but it’s good news for Tom Hardy backers as he begins to close the gap on the frontrunners once again.”

Superman and Witcher star Henry Cavill is currently tucked behind Page on 4/1.

Hardy, however, has started to rise back up the rankings and is now sitting pretty at 7/1, evenly tied with Poldark and Hobbit star Aidan Turner.

Former top favourite James Norton has slipped to 10/1, alongside Michael Fassbender and Peaky Blinders’ Cillian Murphy.

Elba who was also once the hot favourite (and remains the public choice in many polls) looks like he is out of the running now at 12/1. Even if his public distancing from the role were not enough, he is now 49. With the franchise looking unlikely to reboot for a couple more years and Broccoli speaking of ‘ten-year’ plans, his age has become a major bar to his chances.

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