Tom Hardy Proves He’s Bond-Worthy With Real Life Crime Fighting

Tom Hardy is just one of a number of contenders hoping to fill the James Bond role, should Daniel Craig choose not to reprise his version of the Ian Fleming character. While Hardy may be a little too rugged to play a convincing Bond in the opinions of some, the actor’s willingness to take on the iconic role mustn’t be discounted, especially when his real life antics resemble something out of a James Bond film. Recently, Tom added crime-fighter to his resume, when he jumped into action to stop a thief.

Tom Hardy Displayed Some Smooth James Bond Moves to Catch a Thief

Generally, Tom Hardy is one of the more timid stars, when it comes to basking in the spotlight, but, as Vanity Fair reports, the Taboo actor and James Bond hopeful didn’t hesitate to jump into the fray to stop a thief. The actor was in Richmond, in the southwest of London on Sunday afternoon, when two teenagers stole a motorbike, only to crash it into a car moments later.

According to police reports, Hardy jumped to action, as soon as he saw the teens take off on the motorbike.

“He went off like a shot in pursuit and looked furious,” witness Arun Pullen said of Tom’s crime-fighting moves.

Later, once the teens had been apprehended, Pullen approached Hardy and asked him about the incident.

“He told me he chased [the culprit] through my back garden and caught him around the block—but the route was like an assault course.”

It was also reported that Mr. Hardy took shortcuts through private yards, vaulting over fences and walls, looking very much like a devoted James Bond in pursuit of the villains.

Pullen also stated that, once he grabbed the two teens, Hardy had checked their I.D.’s, while awaiting police.

In a statement, Richmond Police confirmed that two persons did attempt to steal a motorbike and were pursued by Tom Hardy, who later apprehended the boys in a citizen’s arrest. While the statement does confirm that the hero was Tom Hardy, Pullen’s girlfriend says she didn’t need the police confirmation.

“I’m a big Tom Hardy fan and there was no mistaking him,” Kalisha said. “He looked as mad as he does on telly.”

Tom Hardy Just Upped His Chances of Nabbing That James Bond role

There’s no denying that Tom Hardy has grabbed everyone’s attention with those superhero quality moves in Richmond and, as Esquire shares, Hollywood is taking notice as well. In fact, bookmaker William Hill has lowered the odds on Hardy being named the next Bond, bringing the actor’s chances down to 3/1.

The new ranking leaves Tom trailing just behind Idris Elba (5/2) and sharing equal odds with Aidan Turner and Michael Fassbender.

“Just as Tom Hiddleston’s odds drifted considerably due to his ‘off-screen’ shenanigans with Taylor Swift, Hardy’s chances of becoming Bond have increased given that he seems to be a real life action hero,” said Joe Crilly, a William Hill spokesman.

While Tom Hardy has his share of fans hoping he’ll get that Bond role, there’s still the very real possibility that Daniel Craig will return for Bond 25. In fact, IMDb credits Craig as James Bond in the upcoming installment, even though no official word on the matter has been made public.

Previously, Daniel Craig lambasted the role, making it clear that he would never do another Bond film, stirring actor interest in the iconic character. Since that time, however, Mr. Craig has backtracked and shared a renewed interest in reprising the role, while his Spectre and Skyfall co-stars have shared the opinion that he would indeed be reprising his James Bond.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]