Now that Daniel Craig‘s time as James Bond is over after “No Time To Die,” it’s only healthy for fans of the franchise to speculate who will next don the ruthless and debonair superspy’s black tuxedo. And since Bond producer Barbara Broccoli insists it will take at least a couple of years before they recast the character and start work on a new film, speculation must tide everyone over until there’s an official new Bond.
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So, who should be the next 007? Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Dev Patel, Henry Golding, and Richard Madden have their backers, but Henry Cavill is another name often batted around for the part. And as it turns out, Cavill came very close to getting the James Bond role before Craig was cast in 2006’s “Casino Royale.” On the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Cavill recounted just how close the race for Bond was. “They told me I was close, yes,” he explained to the podcast hots. “They told me it was ultimately down to– and this is what I was told, someone out there will be like, ‘that’s not true!’ — that it was down to me and Daniel. I was the younger option.”
But Cavill isn’t sore he lost the part to Craig. “And I think it was an amazing choice to go with Daniel. I probably wasn’t ready at the time,” Cavill admitted. “And yeah, I think Daniel did an incredible job over the past movies, so I’m happy they made that choice. It was a fun adventure at the time, and it definitely gave me a boost to my career. That was the key element of it. I was getting a lot of auditions that went really, really well. I had a lot of casting directors tell me, ‘you were the best person in the room, but you’re not a name,’ and you hear that enough times or not, and you’re like [groans].”
That time of not being a Hollywood “name” didn’t last much longer for Cavill, though. “But then once I screen tested for Bond, and I was on a shortlist, and my photo was in Variety, then it was like, ‘Oh ok, this guy might carry some kind of name now,'” he explained. “So it started to help things build a bit more.” Cavill has an iconic role now as the DCEU‘s current Clark Kent/Superman. Since his Bond auditioning days, he’s also starred in spy films like 2015’s “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” and Matthew Vaughn‘s upcoming film “Argylle.”
When asked about the current Bond– the producers of which are looking for someone in their ’30s, Cavill quipped, “They’re running out of time,” noting that he’s now 39 years old. The actor also suggested it’s no longer his aspiration to play the spy. “Yeah, I’m quite busy now,” he said with a laugh. “I love those guys [the Broccolis,], they are wonderful, I have very fond memories, and it was a really fun time, and so, whether I’m considered for the role or not, I don’t know, but, it’d be fun to have the conversation, for sure. If not, I’d love to see what they do with it ’cause they’re amazing.”
Catch Cavill as Sherlock Holmes in “Enola Holmes 2,” on Netflix now. As for “Argylle,” expect Vaughn’s film in theaters sometime in 2023. And as for the next James Bond? Please don’t hold your breath; the Broccolis are years away before they choose a new lead.
