Rising star, 28, sees 007 odds slashed after ‘most significant moment in Bond history’

Bookies have named Harris Dickinson as a strong contender for the next Bond (Picture: Getty Images)

Bookmakers have slashed odds on Babygirl star Harris Dickinson being named as the next James Bond.

Harris, 28, was named by bookmakers as the frontrunner to take on the role amid intense speculation as to who will succeed departed 007 Daniel Craig.

The Triangle of Sadness star’s name has been thrown into the ring after appearing opposite Nicole Kidman in the steamy erotic thriller Babygirl.

This comes after this week’s announcement that creative control of the James Bond franchise has been handed over to streaming giant Amazon Prime – who purchased rights-holders MGM for a whopping $8.45billion (£6.7bn) in 2022.

With the studio came a stake in the Bond films, which has always been controlled by family-run Eon Productions since the cinematic spy’s 1962 debut.

And, as Harris emerges in the forefront of the race to score a License to Kill, one Bond expert has revealed what the Amazon deal might mean for Bond.

Harris is one of cinema’s hottest young talents (Picture: Shutterstock) Harris wowed as Samuel in erotic thriller Babygirl (Picture: A24)

Speaking to Metro, Morgan Jeffery, Bond expert and Digital Editor at Radio Times, described the momentous shift that has just taken place.

‘There’s no question this is a huge, not to mention surprising, turn of events for the Bond franchise—in some form or another, the Broccoli family have been the stewards of the film series since its beginnings in the early 1960s,’ Morgan said.

He continued: ‘More than in any other period in the franchise’s history, we’re in uncharted waters, with no real sense of where Bond’s new creative overlords might take the character next—that sense of familiarity that came with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson’s guardianship is gone.’

The Broccoli family have had control of the Bond franchise since the 1960s (Picture: Shutterstock)

But what does this mean for Bond? According to Morgan, the franchise could see a Marvel-style expansion of the spy’s world.

‘The most probable outcome of Amazon MGM seizing creative control will be a significant expansion of the Bond franchise beyond the existing film series,’ Morgan said.

He continued: ‘Now, the floodgates have opened, so in addition to casting the next 007 actor and pulling together a creative team to produce the next film, odds are that Amazon will also be looking to build out Bond into a sprawling cross-media behemoth to rival Disney’s Marvel project.’

Daniel Craig departed the role of Bond in 2021 (Picture: Shutterstock)

Scary times, but Bond isn’t going anywhere.

‘But while this is unquestionably a significant moment in Bond’s history—one of the most significant, in fact—and a real sea change, the series has survived this long, defying critics and triumphing over adversity time and again to endure,’ Morgan said.

‘Bond is big enough to make it through this—it’s a character now so iconic that, like Sherlock Holmes or Dracula, he’s unlikely to ever disappear from our screens entirely.’

Rising talent Harris is among the bookies’ favourites (Picture: Reuters) Comment nowWho do you want to see as the next James Bond?Comment Now

Following the announcement, bookmakers Betfred revealed their latest set of odds for the next 007.

And, with odds of 4/1, rising star Harris could beat out rumoured frontrunners Aaron Taylor Johnson, titular Bridget Jones boy Leo Woodall and Happy Valley villain James Norton for the role.

‘The 28-year-old already has a very impressive portfolio of work and has received critical acclaim for his acting alongside Nicole Kidman,’ said Betfred spokesperson Robert Ford.

Adding fuel to the fire is Harris’s surprisingly sparse slate going forward, leading some to wonder whether he could be about to line up a major deal.

Harris played spoiled rich boy Carl in Triangle of Sadness (Picture: AP)

Harris made his film debut in the 2017 coming-of-age drama Beach Rats, scoring acclaim for his performance as lost teenager Frankie.

He went on to star in the Disney blockbuster sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and appeared in The King’s Man, Where the Crawdads Sing, and the 2023 best picture nominee Triangle of Sadness.

Prior to his star-making performance in Babygirl, he appeared opposite Zac Efron in tragic wrestling biopic The Iron Claw.

He was rumoured last year to be in the running as young John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ series of films about The Beatles.

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