Cillian Murphy is suddenly SERIOUSLY in the frame to become the next James Bond

Seemingly from nowhere, Cillian Murphy is now being considered for the role of James Bond.

The Irishman is currently the hottest actor in Hollywood thanks to his role in Oppenheimer. This coming Sunday at the Academy Awards, he is odds-on favourite to win the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Christopher Nolan's epic, which tells the story of the birth of the atomic bomb.

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Following Daniel Craig's retirement as 007, fans have been forced to wait patiently for any news concerning his replacement.

Even before Craig departed, there was speculation as to who would replace him as the most famous movie spy in movie history. Names like Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Damson Idris, Henry Cavill and Aaron-Taylor Johnson were favourites at different points both before and after the production of No Time to Die.

Murphy was never mentioned as a real favourite, but that could change, according to The Sun.

"Cillian is the toast of Hollywood right now and this would be the ultimate role," a source told the publication. "This is a way to elevate the Bond franchise with an actor who is at the very top of his game."

READ MORE: One MAJOR change coming to the Bond franchise - something we haven't seen before

Who is the favourite to play Bond?

At the moment, Kick-Ass star Taylor-Johnson is the favourite, overtaking Idris who has dropped to third-favourite.

According to OddsChecker, he is the 2/1 favourite to be cast as Bond.

In second is Cavill at 7/2, while Idris and James Norton are 9/2 and 5/1 respectively.

Last year, it was reported that Taylor-Johnson impressed Bond producers and that he had even donned the tuxedo to film his version of the iconic gun barrel sequence.

You can get odds of 33/1 on Murphy being cast.