In 2005, when the franchise was seeking a new direction, casting for the next 007 to replace Pierce Brosnan had been narrowed down to just two names. The first was Daniel Craig, who would eventually land the highly-coveted role and make his debut in Martin Campbellโs seminal Casino Royale. The other actor in serious contention was 22-year-old Henry Cavill, who reports are now suggesting is โpushingโ to be the next James Bond after the incumbentโs tenure concludes with Cary Joji Fukunagaโs delayed No Time To Die.
A key reason heโd lost the part came down to age. While New Zealand director Martin Campbell โ who also helmed GoldenEye โ had apparently championed Cavill, longtime James Bond producers such as Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, and the suits over at Eon Productions had ultimately decided an older face would be far more appropriate. Plus thereโs no denying it wouldโve felt ridiculous watching a uni kid portray the worldโs most iconic spy. More recently, The Witcher lead himself revealed he wasnโt exactly in the best of shape at the time of the audition processโ final dash.
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โIt was his tough love way of saying, โLook, mate, youโre in a Bond screen test. Next time you come to a screen test, really focus hard on making sure you lean up if itโs for something like Bond,'โ Henry Cavill recounts being told in an exchange with Campbell.
โAnd I wasnโt by any means chubby, but I was probably overweight for taking my shirt off on camera.โ
Given Cavill is now 38-years-old (an entire year older than Daniel Craig was when he was cast), as well as having developed a reputation for being one of the most โ if not simply the most โ physically impressive specimens working in Hollywood right now, itโs safe to assume both critiques have soundly been resolved. But the case for Henry Cavill to finally become James Bond is far more extensive than simply fulfilling the criteria he failed fifteen years ago.
The justification essentially comes down to three core titles in his filmography: Man of Steet, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Mission: Impossible โ Fallout. Keep in mind the single best justification would probably be the upcoming, star-studded action-thriller โ Argylle โ currently being adapted by Kingsmen creator Matthew Vaughn thatโs on track to โre-invent the spy genre.โ Unfortunately, neither the novel by Elli Conway nor the movie by Vaughn has been released, so we have no way of truly knowing.
Despite the large scale ambitions of the Greek mythology-inspired epic, Immortals, it wasnโt until Henry Cavill took on the equally-storied mantle of Superman that he demonstrated major star power potential. Regardless of whatever your personal opinions are surrounding Zack Snyderโs instalment, or of the DCEU as a whole (of which Iโm aware is another discourse rich area), Man of Steel added โhandling a cinematic legacy roleโ and โcrowd-drawing abilityโ to his CV.
James Bond as a fictional persona is comprised of two crucial dualities. Itโs a balancing act that requires suave sophistication like that of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan; in contrast to a certain element brutality, grit, and willingness to engage in the spit-out-some-blood, tear-your-tailored-shirt brand of violence โ obviously best exemplified by Daniel Craig.
The former is what Henry Cavill showcased as Napoleon Solo (also a legacy role) in what many already refer to as an informal James Bond audition tape โ Guy Ritchieโs The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Starring opposite Armie Hammerโs laconic and no-nonsense Illya Kuryakin, Cavill exhibited all the roguish charms and devil may care attitude in the face of danger โ Cold War danger, extra points โ that practically screams classic Bond.
The latter is what Henry Cavill showcased in Americaโs answer to the James Bond series โ Mission: Impossible โ Fallout โ as CIA double agent, August Walker / John Lark. Serving as the filmโs secret villain will instantly give your a sinister aura, but it was the way in which Cavillโs Walker / Lark operated with reckless abandon prior to the turn which really shined above all else. And you canโt tell me that entire bathroom sequence didnโt give you a little bit of a Casino Royale opening sequence vibe.
In short, the bloke has pretty much been dancing around 007 without ever actually being offered the real deal. The far more compelling evidence which places Henry Cavill in pole position to become the next James Bond, however, lies in the franchiseโs casting habits.
James Bond expert and author of Catching Bullets โ Memoirs Of A Bond Fan, Mark OโConnell, outlined how incoming 007 actors were historically runners up at their auditions prior to hitting MI6 intelligence officer success (similar to the situation encountered by Henry Cavill).
โRoger Moore was considered for Sean Conneryโs Dr No, Timothy Dalton was looked at when he was just 21 in the era of George Lazenbyโs On Her Majestyโs Secret Service and later Diamonds Are Forever,โ OโConnell explained to Express.co.uk back in 2019.
โThey looked at everyone for Diamonds Are Forever, as they were slightly panicking [after George Lazenby turned down more Bond films after just one outing].โ
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Eventually, Sean Connery was persuaded to return once more before passing the torch to Roger Moore, who made his debut in Live & Let Die. You may also recall Pierce Brosnan landed the gig in 1987 for The Living Daylights before a contractual obligation tied to NBCโs cancelled-then-revived series, Remington Steele, forced him to tap out. Timothy Dalton stepped in until Brosnan was free to make a splash in Campbellโs GoldenEye in 1995.
So you see, all signs actually point to Henry Cavillโฆ itโs to the point where even an artificial intelligence-assisted casting algorithm selected him to start swilling shaken martinis, driving Aston Martins, and pop unnamed henchman with a Walther PPK after Daniel Craig.
โIf [producer Barbara Broccoli] and Mike [co-producer Michael G. Wilson] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity,โ Henry Cavill previously told GQ.
โAt this stage, itโs all up in the air. Weโll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond. It would be very, very exciting.โ
Weโd be interested in that too, Henry. Very interested.
For those of you who are curious, hereโs every other notable candidate for the next James Bond (non-official + media speculated, of course):
- Tom Hardy
- Tom Hiddleston
- Cillian Murphy
- Richard Madden
- Nicholas Hoult
- Damian Lewis
- Idris Elba
- Sam Heughan
- Michael Fassbender
- Michael B. Jordan
- Regรฉ-Jean Page (heavily rumoured favourite next to Henry Cavill)
- Luke Evans
- George MacKay
- Harry Styles
