Should You Bet on Michael Fassbender Becoming the Next James Bond?

If there is anything more enjoyable than stopping baddies on Her Majesty’s secret service while casually stealing hearts, it’s betting on which actor will get to do that on the screen. So how smart would it be to bet on Michael Fassbender becoming the next James Bond?

According to Unibet Sportsbook, a major online sportsbook in the UK, Fassbender’s odds are currently 10/1. That means he is one of the frontrunners, yet still behind such names as James Norton (the favorite at 5/2) and Tom Hardy (11/4 – we are yet to see what influence a recent April’s Fool joke will have on his chances).

Tellingly, Fassbender is still considered a likely choice even after stating that he wouldn’t be interested. It’s almost as if fans couldn’t accept that he won’t play the role – which, in the long run, might be enough to inspire him to change his mind.

Why is he a strong candidate?

Fans just want to see him as 007. And it’s not hard to understand why. Talented, dashing and charismatic, he seems to have what is needed for embodying everyone’s favorite spy. He might have blown his cover as Lieutenant Archie Hicox in Inglorious Basterds, but he would surely make an immaculate James Bond.

He could also bring the right amount of edginess to the role. A noticeable trend in the new Bond films is that they depict the protagonist in a darker light. While Tom Hardy, mostly known in villain roles, might be a tad too intense for the job, Fassbender has a more fitting balance of vulnerability (see his performance in Shameless), aggression (think X-Men) and charisma.

So should I place my bet in Fassbender becoming the next James Bond, after all?

It’s not the safest bet, but it’s not as risky as the Texam hold ‘em tournament in Casino Royale, either. He represent the golden middle: he is unlikely enough for online gambling sites to offer a decent odds multiplier but not as worryingly unlikely as, say, Will Smith (whose odds are 100/1).