'James Bond' betting has been suspended after an overwhelmingly large number of bets were placed on Tom Hiddleston as the favorite to play the next Agent 007. The English actor trumped other favorites including Tom Hardy, Aidan Turner, and Idris Elba.

According to the BBC, a bookmaker suspended betting on who is set to replace Daniel Craig as the new James Bond for future movies in the franchise. Tom Hiddleston received a massive amount of bets to play the iconic agent 007 and became the 2-1 favorite over a list of other major stars.

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Coral halted betting after odds plummeted to 1-2. Coral spokeswoman Nicola McGeady said, "There is no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we've had no choice but to pull the plug on the market."

The bets reportedly surged in after the actor was seen with 'Spectre' director Sam Mendes last week. According to the Independent, Hiddleston was spotted meeting with Mendes and executive producer Barbara Broccoli at the Soho House members' club in London.

Despite the strong speculations of Hiddleston's apparent involvement in the long-running spy-action franchise, he has denied any connections with the 'James Bond' series. During an interview on 'The Graham Norton Show,' he said that he has not been approached for the role.

"The position isn't vacant as far as I'm aware. No-one has talked to me about it... I think the rumors have come about because in The Night Manager I play a spy and people have made the link," Hiddleston said.

He also admitted that the rumors have been tiring him out. "It's just an idea in people's minds so it's quite hard to engage with because it hasn't come from me if that makes sense... It's odd because it's becoming overwhelming - not the thing of it, but the number of people per day who bring it up, it's actually becoming a weird thing to deal with," he said.

Although Hiddleston denied any involvement, he still expressed some enthusiasm over the possibility of being the next James Bond. Hiddleston revealed that he has always been a fan of the series. "We all went to see Spectre when we were shooting Skull Island in Hawaii. I simply love the theme tune and the mythology. I love the whole thing. If it ever came knocking it would be an extraordinary opportunity," he said.

The 35-year-old English actor is best known for his role as Loki in Marvel's 'Thor' series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has also appeared in several full-feature films including Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse,' Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris,' Guillermo del Toro's 'Crimson Peak,' and Ben Wheatley's 'High-Rise.' He is the lead actor in the British-American television miniseries 'The Night Manager' directed by Susanne Bier.

TagsJames Bond, Spy films, action films, Tom Hiddleston, agent 007