Fans might think that the James Bond race is already decided with Aaron Taylor-Johnson well ahead, but Netflix star Jonathan Bailey has just emerged as a new favourite for the role.

The Bridgerton heart-throb, 36, rose to fame in the period drama in 2020 as Regency rake Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, who set pulses racing as the male lead in 2022’s season two opposite Simone Ashley’s Kate Sharma.

Before this, he had been steadily working on other major shows like BBC satire W1A and ITV thriller Broadchurch, as well as receiving great acclaim on the stage.

However, following Bridgerton, he has also made a significant impact in the US LGBTQ+ romantic drama Fellow Travellers with Matt Bomer in 2023 – and movie stardom beckons thanks to roles in one of the most anticipated films of 2024 and a major franchise.

But now it appears he’s also a hot contender for the open position of 007, whose licence to kill has been unclaimed since Daniel Craig’s final turn as Bond in 2021’s No Time To Die.

Recent movement at the bookies has slotted him into the top three most likely contenders to play the next James Bond, above his former co-star.

According to the latest Coral betting, supplied exclusively to Metro.co.uk, the star has re-entered the race and seen his odds slashed from 10/1 to just 4/1.

This means he has moved ahead of the likes of long-term contender James Norton at 5/1, as well as Taron Egerton and other new favourite Leo Woodall, who are both now at 6/1, with The Gentlemen’s Theo James on 7/1 and rising British star Damson Idris on 8/1.

Taylor-Johnson remains first in the betting and the odds-on favourite at 4/5, with Henry Cavill the other serious contender at 5/2.

Rounding out the top 10 are Gladiator 2 lead actor Paul Mescal and Bailey’s former Bridgerton co-star Regé-Jean Page.

‘Jonathan Bailey is the big mover in our James Bond betting this week on the back of the success of the latest series of Bridgerton,’ Coral’s John Hill told Metro.co.uk.

‘He is now a leading contender according to our odds, with only Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill ahead of him in the betting.

‘Taylor-Johnson remains odds-on for the role, and although he has remained tight-lipped about any approach, we still think he is most likely to replace Daniel Craig,’ he added.

It seems likely Bailey’s surge in popularity is connected both to the headline-grabbing success of Bridgerton’s season three on Netflix in recent weeks, which he returned for, as well as the roles confirmed for his future.

The Crashing actor, who is also set to play Richard II on stage in London early next year, will appear in the first part of the big screen adaptation of the stage musical Wicked in December, playing Fiyero opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.

He’s also been announced to lead the cast in the next Jurassic World movie, alongside Scarlett Johansson.

Bailey confirmed his involvement in May, calling the opportunity ‘mind-blowing’.

Bond frontrunner Taylor-Johnson has previously indicated he has likely had enough of the intense casting speculation.

When asked if he gets ‘sick of being asked about Bond’ at the premiere of his most recent movie, Fall Guy, the star paused, sighed and chuckled before bluntly replying, ‘Are you sick of asking the question?’.

It was even denied back in March that Taylor-Johnson had been given the role, but he’s still inspired strong support from his Back to Black filmmaker wife Sam Taylor-Johnson, as well as a former James Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan.

However, fans won’t know the new Bond’s identity for sure until producer Barbara Broccoli – who is in charge of the Bond franchise with her half-brother, Michael G. Wilson – finally makes the decision public.

And so far, her lips remain sealed.