Star of ‘irresistible’ Netflix crime drama becomes surprise new James Bond frontrunner

A star of one of the Netflix’s biggest series of 2025 is now among the frontrunners to be the next James Bond.

Anthony Boyle, 31, starred as Arthur Guinness in the Netflix series House of Guinness, which followed the titular family during the brewing company’s early days.

The series – which also starred Game of Thrones actor Jack Gleeson and Paddington’s Louis Partridge – hasn’t been confirmed for a second season yet, but creator Stephen Knight is keen.

Reviews of the series also hailed it as ‘juicy’, ‘irresistible’, and ‘scandalous’, laying bare the ancestors’ secrets.

However, any continuation of House of Guinness may have to contend with the possibility of its lead star Anthony juggling duties for Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

This week there was a shift in bookmakers odds, with the Irish actor climbing the ranks just before Christmas – could it be a happy new year for our potential new 007?

Bookmaker Coral has shortened Anthony’s odds from 12-1 all the way down to 4-1, putting him among the front runners to take over from Daniel Craig.

Coral spokesperson John Hill revealed: ‘We have seen significant support for Anthony Boyle in our next James Bond betting over the last 24 hours.’

He continued: ‘As we approach the end of 2025, many punters are convinced he could be leading the race to replace Daniel Craig.’

Despite the dramatic change in his odds, Anthony is still only third favourite according to Coral, with two big British names currently in front of him.

Favourite is Callum Turner, who has starred in the Fantastic Beasts films and was nominated for a Bafta for his work in 2019 TV series The Capture – he’s currently 10/11 on.

Next up is 28 Years Later actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who has been consistently tipped to be the next 007 for quite a while now, and still stands strong with odds of 3-1.

Further down the list are the likes of former Witcher star Henry Cavill (6-1), The White Lotus actor Theo James (6-1), and Black Mirror’s James Nelson-Joyce (8-1).

This latest development involving Anthony has come in the week when Idris Elba dropped a teasing hint that he might be taking on the role of James Bond after all.

The Luther star, 53, has been tipped to play Bond for more than a decade, despite ruling himself out on numerous occasions, but he played a fun game with his social media followers over the weekend.

Idris posted a fun clip to TikTok that saw him standing at the end of a line of waxwork models of previous Bonds, including Pierce Brosnan and others.

The actor then explained that his wife put him up to the job.

Despite names like Josh O’Connor being in the mix as well, Callum Turner is regarded as the ‘red hot favourite’ to assume the role Daniel Craig played for 15 years.

Callum, who is engaged to Dua Lipa, emerged as the favourite to take over the coveted role in November – nine months after Amazon assumed full control of the franchise.

The Eternity star, 35, has been mentioned as a contender for a while but his recent role as Elizabeth Olsen’s romantic interest in the fantasy romcom has reignited rumours.

At the time, Coral’s John Hill said at the time: ‘We’ve been knocked over with support for Callum Turner in our next James Bond betting over the last 24 hours. The British actor is now the red-hot favourite for the role.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.