White Lotus star ‘lined up to play James Bond’ say bookies after rush of bets on star for 007

A WHITE Lotus hunk is the hot favourite name in the frame to play the next James Bond.

The 40-year-old – who tackled very racy scenes in the second series of the HBO drama – has now seen a “strong wave of support” when it comes to bagging the iconic 007 movie gig.

Theo James is now a hot contender to replace outgoing Bond, Daniel Craig.

Bookies Coral told Flying Eze how an influx of bets on the actor has sparked a reduction in his odds of playing the character to 2-1.

Coral's John Hill added: “We have seen a strong wave of support for Theo James over the weekend which has forced us to slash the odds on The Monkey star replacing Daniel Craig.”

Theo played Cameron Sullivan in The White Lotus' second season, where he jets to Sicily with wife Daphne.

Yet his bold character's infidelity quickly becomes clear – with one infamous scene in the plotline sending fans wild.

The Buckinghamshire-born star also features in hitNetflix series The Gentlemen.

His first major role came in 2011 when he played Jed Harper in the popular TV series Bedlam for six episodes.

The same year, Theo went on to star in the hilarious comedyThe InbetweenersMovie, alongside a number of notable names such asSimon Bird,James BuckleyandBlake Harrison.

The following year, Sony Pictures hired the Brit to play David in the thrilling Underworld Awakening, starringKate Beckinsaleand Michael Ealy.

He now joins a stellar list of actors as names in the frame for the Bond role.

These include new prediction – Adolescence actor Stephen Graham – as well as little-known actor Stuart Martina recent actor in the frame.

Henry Cavill,Tom Hardyand Aaron Taylor-Johnson have all been tipped to replaceDanielasthe Secret Service agent.

Coral has now placed Happy Valley villain James Norton as second favourite for the role with odds of 3-1, and Aaron at 7-2.

BOND REVEAL

Recently, Bond franchise expert Mark O'Connell told how he believed fans will know the next suave spy's identity by thesummer.

Timeline of James Bond actors

Over the years there have been seven actors who have played 007.

The first ever James Bond film was in 1962, and this is who has played the lead role over the years:

• Sean Connery – The late star was the first ever actor to play Bond, and reprised the role for seven movies.
• George Lazenby – The star only played Bond once, but was the youngest actor to ever play the spy.
• Roger Moore – The late movie star spent 12 years making seven films in the famous franchise.
• Timothy Dalton – The smooth actor took over from Roger Moore and appeared in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill.
• Pierce Brosnan – The handsome star played Bond for four movies from 1995 to 2002.
• Daniel Craig – The British star was the first blonde James Bond and the sixth actor to win the role in 2005.

Appearing on Nick Ferrari's LBC radio show, he said he wanted Bond to remain British and favoured a non A-list name.

He said: “Henry Cavill could be back in the running now. Amazon's choice could be different to the Broccolis. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, a new guy called Harris Dickinson, keep an eye on him.”

Days ago it was confirmed that Bond will still be a British man despite being sold to “woke”; Hollywood streaming site Amazon.

Before giving up ownership of the popular film franchise, 007’s stewardsBarbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilsoninsisted the spy would retain his nationality and gender.

Ms Broccoli, who took over the Bond brand from company Eon Productions alongside Mr Wilson in 1995, made the arrangement before she agreed to sell the rights to Amazon in a £770million deal.

An insider told theMail on Sunday: “Amazon is committed to keeping the spirit of Bond alive and that means he has to be British or from theCommonwealth– and he has to be male.”;