AS THE race to be crowned the next 007 heats up, fans are keen to know who will be the next Bond villain.
There have been some truly memorable baddies over the years, and the bookies have given their tips on who will be the next one.
Who will be the next James Bond villain?
One of the most important parts of casting a James Bond movie is picking the right villain.
The part has been played by numerous actors, and is a key part of any 007 film.
Every Bond film sees the famous spy come up against an evil nemesis or two.
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We take a look at the latest odds of who is being tipped to be the next Bond villain (supplied by Gambling.com).
Cillian Murphy - 1/3
Irish star Cillian Murphy was previously being strongly tipped to take the lead role of James Bond.
However, now the bookies are putting the actor as the frontrunner to play the new Bond villain.
The Irishman is no stranger to portraying grisly characters, having played the ruthless Tom Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
The actor is also at the top of his game, having just won the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer.
Tom Hardy 2/1
Another actor who was tipped to be the next James Bond was Tom Hardy.
The talented star got ruled out when it was revealed Bond bosses wanted their "new 007 to be a millennial", meaning he was too old.
Tom would make a great villain, having spent most of his acting career playing this type of character.
Some of his best known baddies are Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and playing the Kray Twins in Legend.
Idris Elba - 5/2
Another actor who was ruled out for "being too old" to play James Bond, was the handsome Idris Elba.
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But all is not lost for Idris fans, as he is being strongly tipped to bag a Bond villain part instead.
Known for playing the ruthless detective Luther in the iconic series, the much-loved star would make a great nemesis for James Bond.
The actor has starred in some huge blockbuster movies including The Suicide Squad and Avengers: Infinity War.
Gary Oldman - 3/1
During his career Gary Oldman has played some pretty evil characters, so he could step into this role with ease.
Known for parts like Dracula and Drexl In True Romance, the actor could definitely pull off 007's evil nemesis.
At the moment he is fourth favourite to be named the next Bond villain.
The Oscar-winning star is a British legend, so including him in the new Bond film would thrill fans.
The other actors in the running are:
- Leo Woodall - 5/1
- Willem Dafoe - 6/1
- Henry Cavill - 15/2
- Daniel Kaluuya - 8/1
When will the next James B be announced?
Fans are on the edge of their seats to find out who will be the next James Bond.
Although Bond bosses haven't revealed when they will make the big reveal, The Sun exclusively revealed how they are waiting for one actor to "sign the contract".
In March 2024, we exclusively reported how Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been "formally offered" the coveted role.
A contract has reportedly been drawn up and bosses are just waiting for him to "sign on the dotted line".
A source told us: “Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back.
“As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”
Aaron has made a name for himself in Hollywood, and starred in a number of blockbuster movies.
The actor is best known for the Kick-Ass series and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
He kicked off his career in John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, which was directed by his future wife Sam Taylor-Johnson.
Who has played the James Bond villain role previously?
Since the Bond movie franchise kicked off in 1962, there have been some terrifying villains.
Joseph Wiseman's Dr Julius No is the original Bond baddie, appearing in the first-ever movie apposite Sean Connery's 007 debut.
No one will ever forget Javier Bardem as the twisted Silva in Skyfall or Richard Kiel as Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Another one of the earlier villains is Lotte Lenya who played Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love.
Goldeneye is widely regarded as one of the best 007 movies in the famous franchise and Sean Bean's evil Alec Trevelyan is noted at helping the movie get that recognition.
However, it is Donald Pleasance's Ernst Stavro Blofeld who is seen as the definitive Bond villain.
The character even inspired Mike Myers' Dr Evil character in the Austin Powers movies.