Next James Bond: Marvel star makes surprise surge to land 007 role as odds slashed
The race to replace Daniel Craig as Bond is heating up
PA
The race to take over from Daniel Craig in the role of James Bond is well and truly heating up.
With still no clear suggestion from Bond bosses as to who will lead the way in Bond 26, cinemagoers everywhere have been placing their money on who they think could take on the part next.
Frontrunners for the role have ranged from Hollywood A-listers to relative newcomers but in the past few months, the same few names have been banded around.
As it stands, Snowfall's Damson Idris is top of the pile with odds of 2/1, closely followed by Kick-Ass frontman Aaron Taylor Johnson at 9/4.
A number of other big names remain in the running too, including Henry Cavill, Rege-Jean Page, and James Norton - although the latter has "drifted" from the pack according to bettingsites.co.uk.
However, the bookmakers have exclusively told GB News there's a new face in the race to take over from Craig - and he's starred in some of the world's biggest shows and movies.
Kingsley Ben-Adir in the frame to land the Bond role
PA
The actor in question is Kingsley Ben-Air, as spokesperson for bettingsites.co.uk Neil Roarty explained: "We’ve seen plenty of twists and turns in the race to decide the next James Bond and the latest has seen Snowfall star Damson Idris rise to the summit of the betting, with his odds shortening to 2/1.
"Idris has managed to supplant former favourite James Norton, who has drifted out to 7/2.
"One name to watch out for though is Where the Crawdads Sing’s Harris Dickinson as he continues his rise, having seen his odds contract once more from 11/2 to 9/2 to become the current fifth favourite for the role of Bond."
Turning his attention to Ben-Adir, Roarty added: "We’re sure there’s still a few more twists and turns yet in this race, and Dickinson could well continue his charge, while Kingsley Ben-Adir has now also entered the fray at 10/1."
Ben-Adir, 37, is instantly recognisable to Marvel fans after landing the role of Gravik in the hit series Secret Invasion earlier this year.
His small-screen credits include a number of other high-profile gigs such as Peaky Blinders, The OA and ITV's Vera.
Ben-Adir also portrayed Barack Obama in the Showtime drama The Comey Rule alongside Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson.
On the big screen, Ben-Adir joined a long line of famous faces in this year's box office smash Barbie as one of the Kens.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Daniel Craig had played James Bond since 2006
UNIVERSAL PICTURESHe's also acted in other feature-length films such as The Commuter, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and One Night in Miami...
At 10/1, Ben-Adir faces stiff competition for the role as his chances are slimmer than the other actions mentioned.
However, seeing as this is the first time Ben-Adir has entered the market, could this be a sign he'll only find his odds shortened as the wait for the next Bond continues?