Could Daniel Craig’s last 007 outing swing first major Oscar win for the James Bond franchise?

Outgoing Daniel Craig is 100-1 to win Best Actor, while Universal Pictures and MGM film No Time To Die is 66-1 to land Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards.

Hot on the heels of its delayed world premiere, the eagerly-awaited 25th instalment is being rolled out across UK cinemas today (September 30), and bookmaker William Hill has already revealed its prices for one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises to land one of the big five Oscars – for the first time.

“James Bond could single handedly be about to save the cinema industry and for that surely he deserves an Oscar,” said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams.

Costing an estimated $200 million to produce, No Time To Die sees Bond come out of retirement in Jamaica to help track down a new villain. It has already attracted rave reviews from critics, with special praise reserved for its “perfect send off” for the departing Craig.

From a total of 15 nominations, the spy franchise has scooped just five Academy Awards; one for visual effects, two for sound editing, and a further two for best original song. It has never won one of the big five; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, or Best Screenplay.

The 58-year-old film series is one of the longest running in history and last won an award in 2016 when Spectre’s theme song “Writing’s On The Wall” by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith won Best Original Song.

Daniel Craig has rejuvenated the series during his 15 years as James Bond, and there will no doubt be a big push to mark his swansong with Oscar glory. Craig, for whom No Time To Die marks his fifth and final outing as the famed secret agent, is 100-1 to win Best Actor.

William Hill is also offering odds of 66-1 for No TIme To Die to win Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards next March.

Among the favourites for Best Picture are Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white cinematic homage to his native city – Belfast (4-1), slow-burning gothic melodrama The Power of the Dog (9/2), and noir thriller Nightmare Alley (13/2).

Will Smith’s portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ dad in King Richard puts him in poll position for Best Actor (2-1), while Benedict Cumberbatch as a brutal rancher in The Power of the Dog is 10-3 is a strong contender, and Denzel Washington is 4-1 for playing the title role in Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”

With Craig bowing out some 15 years after the release of Casino Royale, speculation continues to mount over who will be next to slip into the spy’s famous tux.

Revenant and Mad Max star Tom Hardy remains favourite to assume the role at 5/2 but he is being closely tracked by Bridgerton breakout Rege Jean-Page and Grantchester heartthrob James Norton at 3/1.

To view the full market from William Hill ahead of the UK release of No Time To Die visit: https://sports.williamhill.com/betting/en-gb/tv-specials/OB_EV1075072/next-james-bond-after-daniel-craig

To view the full market from William Hill ahead of the 94th Academy Awards visit: https://sports.williamhill.com/betting/en-gb/tv-specials/competitions/94th-academy-awards/outrights