The long-awaited announcement about the new 007 may not be far away – Muddy River News

1. The wait should not be much longer, at worst by the end of the calendar year.

News on what actor will be the new James Bond should surface in the not-too-distant future since both a new director and writer for the famed movie series are now established. European betting lines — and Las Vegas, too — have been ramping up in recent weeks on which actor (and, yes, it will be a male) will be heir to the 007 title that Daniel Craig had worn since 2006.

This much we know — director Denis Villeneuve and writer Steven Knight have indicated they likely want the new Bond to be an actor in his 30s so the character can evolve over the decade-plus that he will likely own the role. That all but eliminated a couple of earlier favorites in Idris Elba and Henry Cavill. Elba, who played Russell “Stringer” Bell in “The Wire,” is already 52. Cavill, best known for his casting as a super-hero and one of the earlier favorites to be the next Bond, is 42.

Right now, these look to be the leading contenders:

1. Aaron Taylor-Johnson: He’s received the most ink over the past couple of years — and especially in recent months — as the favorite to be the next Bond. That momentum has never been stronger than now, boosted by his recent tole in “28 Years After”. He’s also close to the “perfect age” the filmmakers are looking for: 35.

2. Callum Turner: He’s a relatively late arrival in the race, but picked up momentum following his performance in “Masters of the Air”. Like Taylor-Johnson, Turner also has “the look” to be the world’s most famous secret agent. And for those keeping score, Turner is also 35.

3. Cavill: I’ll be shocked if he is selected, but oddsmakers still have him in the hunt. 

Longshots: Theo James, Jack Lowden, Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson, James Norton, Tom Hardy and Rene-Jean Page.

Side note: When the hunt for the new Bond began following “No Time to Die” in 2021, I was pulling for Elba to be the new Bond, but the longer the process lasted, the more convinced I came he had no chance because of his age. And that’s a shame. I think the audiences would have loved him.

Side note II: I would have no problem with either Taylor-Johnson or Turner, but my gut tells me it will be Taylor-Johnson.

2. Did you know (Part 463)

• That Sean Connery wore a toupee in all of his James Bond films.
• That “Goldfinger” was both the first film in which Bond drove an Aston Martin.
• That Pierce Brosnan was the deadliest Bond. In “Goldeneye” alone he ended 47 lives. In contrast, Roger Moore only does away with one person in “The Man with the Golden Gun,” the film with the lowest Bond kill count.
• That during the filming of “Tomorrow Never Dies (1997),” more than 15 BMW 750s were destroyed.
• That in the novels, James Bond became 007 at age 38. Out of the various actors that have played the role, Daniel Craig is the only one to have earned his ‘00’ status at the same age.

3. The NFL just released its franchise valuations entering the 2025 season.

Here are the five most valuable:

• 1. Dallas, $12.8 billion.
• 2. Los Angeles Rams, $10.4 billion.
• 3. New York Giants, $10.3 billion.
• 4. New England, $8.8 billion.
• 5. San Francisco, $8.7 billion.

And here are the five least valuable:

• 1. Cincinnati, $5.5 billion.
• 2. Jacksonville, $5.57 billion.
• 3. New Orleans, $5.63 billion.
• 4. Arizona, $5.7 billion.
• 5. Indianapolis, $5.72 billion.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — How much have the value of NFL franchises increased? In 2000, just 25 years ago, the Cowboys, also ranked No. 1 at that time, were valued at $464 million.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Gee, no need to wonder why Stan Kroencke bailed on St. Louis anymore.