London - UPI
Could the next James Bond be a redhead?
One of Britain's biggest bookmakers has slashed the odds on Damian Lewis to replace Daniel Craig as 007.
William Hill revealed Tuesday that bets on Lewis had suddenly jumped from 25/1 to 6/4, putting the former Homeland star ahead of Idris Elba (5/2) and Thomas Hardy (4/1).
"This is an unprecedented gamble," a spokesman for the agency said in a statement. "For no apparent reason we have seen bets of up to £200 ($312) on Damien Lewis being named as the next Bond."
Craig is thought to be signed on for one more Bond film following Spectre, which hits theaters later this year.
Until Lewis' overnight odds jump, Elba, of Luther and The Wire, was widely rumored to be up next for the role.
Lewis' wife, actress Helen McCrory, had a small role in 2012's Skyfall. He joked to The Telegraph in 2013 that Skyfall's Scottish setting could "pave the way perfectly for a red-headed Bond."