Henry Cavill was nearly cast asJames Bondinstead of Daniel Craig. Between his natural charm, charisma, and physique, fans might be surprised to learn thatCasino Royaledirector Martin Campbell didn’t think Cavill was right for James Bond.
Casino Royalekicked off the most recent series ofJames Bondmovies. Craig took on the 007 mantle for five movies over fifteen years. In classic Bond-movie fashion, his role asJames Bond pushed his career to new heights; before playing Bond, Craig was primarily involved in television and smaller movies. Right beforeCasino Royale, Craig appeared inLara Croft: Tomb RaiderandRoad to Perdition; since his James Bond career took off, he’s also starred inCowboys & Aliens,Logan Lucky, and - possibly most notably - as Detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’sKnives OutandGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. While Craig’s acting abilities speak for themselves, there’s no doubt his career as a Bond is an integral part of his success.
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Craig’s career could have gone a little differently, as Cavill’s could have. Speaking withExpress UK, Campbell talked about Cavill’s audition for James Bond and why Craig won out. “He looked great in the audition,” Campbell said. “His acting was tremendous. And look, if Daniel didn’t exist Henry would have made an excellent Bond. He looked terrific, he was in great physical shape… very handsome, very chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”
Now that Craig’s James Bond has bid his farewell, the question remains:who will be the next James Bond? Could it be Cavill? Campbell addressed whether Cavill could still have a chance at 007. Unfortunately, his answer might disappoint those hoping to see him don a suit and defeat bad guys with gadgets and gizmos. “I think they sign on for three Bonds, I’m not absolutely 100 percent certain of that. I know with Pierce he had to sign on to three when we did him. So that’s going to take, what, six years of your life maybe? I suspect Daniel [had] the same deal. And the next guy’s going to have to do that. Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.” While Campbell’s answer wasn’t an outright no, it sounds like Cavill is approaching the point where he’d be too old to play Bond.
While he may have been too young and now too old to play James Bond, Cavill’s career seems to have taken off without the extra help. His legacy as Superman and Geralt of Rivia cemented him as an action and fantasy star, and his upcoming projects reflect that. Cavill is set to produce and star in aWarhammer 40kmovie. He will also star in Guy Ritchie’sThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfareand Matthew Vaughn’sArgylle. So, while his fans may havemissed out on Cavill’s take on James Bond, they will be in for plenty of action-packed performances from him in the future.
