'Frontrunner' Damian Lewis might lose race to become next Bond

London: British actor Damian Lewis, who was one of the strong contenders toreplace Daniel Craig, has been turned down by the bookies as they feel the actor might not make the final cut.

The 44-year-old actor is not alone in the race as Idris Elba currently stands at 5/2 odds and if everything goes right, he will become the first black actor to play Bond, the Independent has reported.

William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams asserted that this was an unprecedented gamble, as for no apparent reason they had seen bets of up to 200 pounds on Lewis being named as the next Bond.

According to reports, Elba is followed by action-movie staples Tom Hardys on 4/1, Henry Cavill with 5/1, and Michael Fassbender with 7/1.