ELDERSLIE star Richard Madden has taken the lead as the current favourite Scottish star to play the next James Bond.

The actor has seen his odds priced at 10-1 in the race to play the iconic spy following Daniel Craig’s departure from the 007 role last year with the release of No Time to Die.

William Hill’s next James Bond market sees Madden up against Idris Elba (7-1) and Superman star Henry Cavill (7-2), following successful stints in popular TV series Game of Thrones, BBC series The Bodyguard and recent Marvel Cinematic Universe instalment The Eternals.

The 35-year-old has notably avoided answering questions related to him playing the new James Bond - which would make him the second Scottish star to do so, behind Sean Connery.

Speaking on the odds, a William Hill spokesperson said: "It's no surprise that Richard Madden is a good fit for the role, as his work on BBC's The Bodyguard clearly showed that he's no stranger to defending key figures against attack on behalf of his country.

"It's also high time that we saw another Scottish Bond enter the foray - after all, 007 has a strong connection to Scotland based on Ian Fleming’s work, so why not have Madden pick up where Connery left off?"

While Madden is the current Scottish favourite, other likely picks from the region include Outlander’s Sam Heughan - who's priced at 16-1 - as well as Karen Gillan (50-1), Gerard Butler (50-1) and Ewan McGregor (66-1).

To see the full list of James Bond contenders, visit sports.williamhill.com/betting/en-gb/tv-specials/OB_EV1075072/next-james-bond-after-daniel-craig.