Tommy Shelby as 007? Peaky Blinders fans would love to see this.
Given the fact that Danny Boyle is now the reported favourite to direct the next Bond film, it's clear that film fans are already thinking about the future of 007. Daniel Craig will return for the 25th Bond film - reportedly his last film as 007 - but if Boyle is chosen to replace Sam Mendes as the director, plenty of people think he might already have Craig's replacement lined up.
Of course, Cillian Murphy and Danny Boyle have worked together before - they collaborated on 28 Days Later and Sunshine - and some punters think that the Peaky Blinders star would be perfect as 007.
Of course, this would assume that Boyle would return to make another Bond film, but the franchise does have a history of working with the same directors - Sam Mendes, Guy Hamilton, Terence Young, John Glen, Lewis Gilbert and Martin Campbell have all directed more than one Bond film.
Oddschecker have reported that 72% of all bets have been placed on the head of the Shelby family replacing Daniel Craig in the role, meaning the bookies have had to react.
Three months ago to the day (December 22), Murphy was a mammoth 125/1 shot to be given the role. Since then, his odds have dropped dramatically to just 12/1.
That’s considerably more attention than the likes of favourites James Norton, Tom Hardy, Jack Huston, Aidan Turner and Idris Elba are receiving at the moment.
Of course, Irishman Pierce Brosnan famously played Bond for four films but in terms of the character, Murphy would be an incredibly interesting fit for Bond.
In Peaky Blinders, he has shown that he's more than capable of playing a cold, methodical, resourceful, charming and brutally violent character, but when it's necessary, Murphy also a lighter touch. It also helps that his character, Tommy Shelby, is something of a ladies man that's still a real enigma to viewers - very much like Bond.
If Danny Boyle isn't chosen to direct the next Bond film, Murphy's chances of landing the role won't be harmed by Christopher Nolan's latest comments about making a Bond film. The director of Inception and Memento recently said that he's not interested in directing the next Bond film, but he does fancy making one eventually.
"I would love to make a Bond film at some point. I think those producers Barbara [Broccoli] and Michael [Wilson] do a tremendous job and so has [director] Sam Mendes. I have always been very inspired by the films," he said.
Of course, Nolan has previously worked with the Irish actor on Dunkirk, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy. You can see why plenty of people think the Peaky Blinders star would fit the tux.
Regarding the surge in bets placed on Murphy landing the Bond role,
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “The next James Bond market is immensely popular with punters, and is only matched by the next Arsenal manager market for longevity. The Irishman is the darling of the Great British public at the moment, and that’s replicated in who people want as their next heartthrob to play the prestigious role. With the amount of attention we’re seeing on Murphy, bookies have had to respond, and his chances of becoming the famous secret agent are increasing more and more by the minute."
