A Downtown Abbey Star To Be The Next James Bond?
Bookies in Las Vegas are reportedly giving Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey a much bigger chance of nabbing the role of 007.
According to the bookies of Las Vegas, Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey and Legion fame is now one of the frontrunners in the question of who will play the next James Bond. New reports suggest that while Henry Cavill, Rege-Jean Page, Tom Hardy, and James Norton remain the most likely actors to nab the role according to Vegas; Stevens has made a surprise leap from the bottom of the pile to one of the top 5 choices in terms of odds. His rise in the list knocked none other than Idris Elba out of the top 5.
The news comes from VegasInsider (via CBR), which tracks betting odds on all kinds of things including whether or not a Downton Abbey alum will be the next 007. According to the site, Stevens was nowhere near the top 5 actors considered until this month, when he jumped a shocking 24 spots up the list between October and November. The site’s only stab at explaining the jump was that Stevens’ visibility has risen in the past year with appearances in Gaslit, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and Welcome to Chippendales.
You can add to that the fact that the Downton Abbey star was tapped to lead Godzilla and Kong, the upcoming sequel to 2021’s Godzilla Vs. Kong. However, a spokesperson from the site warned to not consider Stevens a frontrunner just yet. “[I]t has happened before that someone rose quickly to the top of the candidates’ list and disappeared as fast, so the next few weeks will tell whether he is sticking around,” the VegasInsider spokesperson explained.
Downton Abbey gave Dan Stevens his first shot at international notoriety. He played lawyer Matthew Crawley on the popular series until 2012 when Stevens left to pursue other opportunities, and his character was killed off with a car accident. His subsequent projects included playing Sir Lancelot in 2014’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, as the Beast opposite Emma Watson in the live-action Beauty and the Beast, and as the titular mutant lead of Legion.
If Dan Stevens’ name is actually being batted around by Bon producers as a potential replacement for Daniel Craig, it’s an interesting choice. The 40 year old certainly has both the acting chops and the good looks to pull off the role, but if he were to become the next James Bond then his first entry into the franchise would immediately become his very first lead role in an action film. Meanwhile frontrunners for the part like Henry Cavill and Tom Hardy are more than familiar with the genre.
If the Downton Abbey star does get tapped to play 007, he could very well find himself facing off with another actor from Fox’s X-Men franchise. Jessica Chastain, who appeared in Dark Phoenix, recently said she has no interest in playing a Bond girl, but would love to play a Bond villain.
