Henry Cavill Almost Beat Daniel Craig For James Bond

Daniel Craig's days as Agent 007 are in the rear view. The most recent iteration of James Bond officially concluded in Fall 2021 with the release of No Time to Die, the fifth installment within Craig's franchise. Speculation on the Knives Out actor's successor has run for years but has especially heated up in recent months as MGM begins the hunt for its next leading man in the iconic spy series. Names like Idris Elba, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Richard Madden, and Regé-Jean Page have all been floated around online as potential 007 suitors, but one name stands uniquely above the rest: Henry Cavill.

The former Superman has been fan-cast as James Bond for years, but him landing the role would actually be a full circle moment. Cavill auditioned for Bond ahead of Casino Royale back in the mid-2000s and actually made it to the final stages, but director Martin Campbell ultimately opted for Craig.

"He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous," Campbell told Express UK. "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."

Campbell shared that the casting process for James Bond is unlike any traditional audition, and that all "eight people" that were tasked with deciding the next 007 had to agree on their choice.

"The way they work with Bond, and it's pretty terrific, is when they decide on the actor and you audition – in our case, it was eight people – it's very democratic," Campbell continued. "You sit around a table, eight or nine of you. It was myself and the producers, casting director, etc. And you go through the eight people and you put your hand up as you talk through each person and ultimately everybody has to be unanimous in their decision, if you see what I mean."

Today, Cavill finds himself in an unusual position. He was considered "a little young" when he first auditioned for Bond. Now, he is three years older than Craig was when he first started.

"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," Campbell added. "He's in good shape Henry, he's a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young."

Cavill can next be seen as Geralt of River in The Witcher Season 3, premiering on Netflix next Thursday, June 29th.