Tom Hiddleston’s odds just went up to play James Bond thanks to Loki

The Loki miniseries announcement has boosted Tom Hiddleston’s odds of playing James Bond, but there’s still no official word on who’ll be chosen.

The search for the next James Bond is one step away from being the Hunger Games, because we’re all hoping the odds are ever in someone’s favor. And now, the odds have just gotten better for Tom Hiddleston, whose name has been in thrown around for quite some time as the latest Bond prospect.

Of course, those chances don’t just increase for nothing. It’s all to do with a little project he has coming up for Disney+: the Loki miniseries. The series, part of yet another rumor mill, was said to be planned for a few weeks now, but there was no confirmation that Hiddleston himself would be returning to play the role. Then, just on Friday, Hiddleston emerged after a very long hiatus on social media (and after a very official announcement from Disney) to confirm that he’d indeed be playing the role in the miniseries.

Express is now reporting that Coral, the company keeping track of the new Bond odds (among other things), thinks the series is a good boost to putting him on the map to play the titular character. A Coral spokesperson told Express:

"Hiddleston’s Marvel role might be a million miles away from the world of 007, but it’s going to be another reminder of his acting skills and punters are backing him to be the next Bond.He’s now one of the leading candidates according to our odds and he’s definitely in with a chance of following in Daniel Craig’s footsteps."

Despite his chances being boosted from the new series, he hasn’t gone right to the top just yet. The top spot, according to Coral’s records, is Richard Madden of Game of Thrones and Bodyguard fame. Just below Hiddleston is the newly announced “Sexiest Man Alive,” Idris Elba — which, you’d think a title like that alone would get you the Bond offer.

Below Elba, Coral is also placing their bets on the following:

"Tom HardyJames NortonCillian MurphyAidan TurnerHenry CavillJack Huston"

We think the only fair solution to this race would be to let two celebrities star in the next Bond movie. Think of it, Bond twins separated at birth who are both equally skilled. So much so that both of them are 007, and no one has to worry about the stiff competition between someone like Hiddleston and Elba.

Of course, that’s just a dream (they can take the pitch if they want, of course). But in the end, a decision will have to be made soon. Directed by the newly chosen Cary Fukunaga, the film is set to release Feb. 14, 2020 — which means production will surely be underway within the next few months, and a casting announcement will be made any day now.