The star of spy series The Night Manager, 37, has been discussed in connection with the secret agent character for some time, but has shot back to the lead of the odds table, with William Hill offering odds of 6/4 on him signing on for the part.
Right behind Hiddleston is British actor James Norton (Happy Valley, the upcoming film adaptation of Little Women) with odds of 7/4 and Idris Elba at 5/1.
Completing the top five most likely actors to take over as Bond are Tom Hardy and Bodyguard's Richard Madden, both with odds of 6/1. Meanwhile, if you really wanted to take a punt, David Beckham, Will Smith, Colin Farrell and Colin Firth are all listed with odds of 200/1.
