Why Didn’t Henry Cavill Get Picked to Play James Bond?

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The British secret agent James Bond is probably one of the most famous fictional characters in existence – ask anyone anywhere in the world if they’ve heard of Agent 007 and the answer will more than likely be yes. Bond also invariably makes it onto every list of the best gambling movies, regardless of which actor is inhabiting the role.

So with Daniel Craig confirming that ‘No Time to Die’ will be the final time he plays the famous spy, speculation is rife about who will replace him. Henry Cavill, who has carved out a hugely successful career in roles such as Superman, the Witcher and Sherlock Holmes, is among the forerunners to succeed Craig – but he was also one of Craig’s main rivals when he first won the role 16 years ago. So why did Cavill miss out that time? And could he serve Her Majesty’s Secret Service in the near future? Let’s find out.

A question of inexperience

It’s no secret that Cavill previously made it down to the final two when director Martin Campbell was casting for ‘Casino Royale’ in 2006. Then 22 years old, Cavill had publicly declared his desire to play Bond and reputedly put in a strong performance in the audition – but was ultimately looked over in favor of Craig, who is 15 years his senior.

So was it merely a question of age that precluded Cavill from landing the role? According to Campbell, that’s at least part of the equation. “He did a very good test, [but] he was too young, and also he wasn’t as experienced as Daniel,” explained Campbell. “Daniel just fitted the part from being a superb actor, and probably the best actor amongst them all.”

Cavill himself has also spoken out about how he feels he could have prepared for the role more thoroughly and that Campbell made comments about his physical stature – or, more bluntly, his chubbiness – at the time. But rather than taking the criticisms to heart, Cavill knuckled down and put in the hard yards at the gym and his impressive physique in subsequent roles shows that he responded positively.

Right man, wrong time?

Craig first revealed that he would call time on his James Bond career back in 2019, leading to years of speculation about who might replace him. Unsurprisingly, Cavill’s name has been mentioned as one of the leading candidates, alongside other Hollywood superstars such as Tom Hardy, Aidan Turner and James Norton.

Also unsurprisingly, Cavill is once again very eager to play Bond should the opportunity arise. “It’s an honor to even be part of that conversation,” he recently commented. “I think it would be very exciting to have a conversation with the producers… We’ll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting.”

For their part, the Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have not been forthcoming about who might ultimately succeed Craig. Nonetheless, there are suggestions that they might wish to take the franchise in a new direction, which could involve hiring a person of color to play the role. Broccoli has confirmed that Bond will remain male, however, meaning Cavill is certainly in with a strong chance.

Although Cavill was ultimately overlooked for the role of Bond 16 years ago, he might just make the grade for the next outing of everyone’s favorite secret agent.