Credit: Inside the MagicHenry Cavill has been a favorite to play James Bond ever since Daniel Craig hung up the tuxedo in No Time to Die (2021).
The 43-year-old British actor is best known for portraying Clark Kent/Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League (2021). But his time playing iconic characters is far from over.
Who’s Replacing Daniel Craig as James Bond?
Several actors have been linked to the role of 007 – especially since Amazon MGM’s Bond reboot was announced – including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (28 Years Later), Austin Butler (Elvis), Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), and Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Brand New Day). But Cavill remains a top choice among fans.
The film will cast a new actor to replace Daniel Craig following his five-film series, which also included Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015).
What We Know About James Bond 26
Denis Villeneuve (the Dune films) is directing the film with a script from Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), while Amy Pascal (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) and David Heyman (the Harry Potter films) are onboard as producers.
No plot details have been shared, however, the new actor is reportedly expected to “carry the franchise for at least four films.” The hunt for the next Bond is now officially underway, with Nina Gold leading the search, as reported by Variety in May.
Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement:
“The search for the next James Bond is underway. While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
Recently, Amy Pascal suggested that we may find out who the new 007 is by the end of this year. “I would say the end of the year is a good bet. We are being really, really methodical,” she told Deadline, adding that the new Bond has “got to be something really different that is stirring and exciting and different.”
Is Henry Cavill the New James Bond?
Recent reports have named Tom Francis (Jay Kelly), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Calibre), and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, Wuthering Heights) among those reportedly being eyed by the studio as part of the auditioning and casting process.
But what about Man of Steel star Henry Cavill?
In response to our own recent article about Jack Lowden being named as a possible serious contender, many fans responded in the comments naming Henry Cavill as their preferred choice.
Some comments have been edited for accuracy and clarity.
“Henry Cavill. Best for Bond,” one said.
“I love Henry Cavill for Bond, with a close second, Theo James,” a second fan wrote.
Another listed the actor’s spy resume (just as we have further down in this article), saying, “Henry Cavill has already been associated with the spy genre, famously starring as the titular fictional super agent in Matthew Vaughn’s action-comedy Argylle (2024), as CIA operative Napoleon Solo in Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), and as the villainous August Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018). Not to mention Sherlock Holmes (Enola Holmes).”
“I don’t care how old Henry Cavill is, he should be the next James Bond,” another said.
One compares Cavill to the late Bond legend Sean Connery, writing, “If I was to pick the next great James Bond 007, I would pick Henry Cavill. He reminds me a lot of Sean Connery, who was the all-time best James Bond. Cavill has all the qualities that Connery had, including looks and the style, plus the British accent. He’s also debonair and has an obvious attraction for women.”
Cavill has been asked about the possibility of taking up the mantle of 007 many times.
“I think it would be very exciting to have a conversation with the producers,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 when asked about his interest in the role. “In an ideal world, I’d never have to turn anything down. Nothing is off the table. It’s an honor to even be part of that conversation.”
In 2005, Cavill screen-tested for Casino Royale and was favored by director Martin Campbell; however, studio executives reportedly felt the actor was too young and lacked the grit Craig would eventually bring to the franchise.
“He looked great. His acting was tremendous,” Campbell said, adding, “And look, if Daniel [Craig] 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.”
However, Cavill has not been named as part of the audition process for the new film, which for now puts him well outside Amazon MGM’s search for the new 007.
Still, speculation – and hope – continues. And here’s why we think he should switch the red cape for a very nice tuxedo.
Why Henry Cavill Would Make a Great James Bond
He Looks the Part of 007
For starters, Henry Cavill looks like he could easily step into the shoes of the world’s most iconic secret agent. Perhaps that’s because he’s devilishly handsome and extremely well built. Or it could be due to the fact he has already played a number of spies in recent years. Probably both.
He’s Already Played Spies Similar to Bond
In 2015, Cavill played Napoleon Solo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which is based on the 1964 spy TV series of the same name.
And in 2024, he suited up as fictional globe-trotting spy Agent Aubrey Argylle in Argylle. At the time, director Matthew Vaughn said of Cavill, “I needed someone who was born to play Bond – which Henry is – and then nick him before Bond did. He plays a larger-than-life action hero with a wink. It’s very different from Kingsman.”
Cavill’s ties to 007 go beyond his work in the spy genre itself. In 2024, he appeared in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, playing Gustavus Henry March-Phillipps, a character who is said to have inspired Bond. The film even features Bond creator Ian Fleming (played by Freddie Fox). In an interview about the film with Forbes, Cavill was asked about the Bond rumors again. “I have no idea, all I’ve got to go off is the rumors,” he told the outlet at the time.
Cavill is also very physically capable. How can we forget the moment he famously “reloaded” his biceps opposite Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout (another spy movie) as CIA agent August Walker.
Fallout director Christopher McQuarrie also said that Cavill would “make an excellent Bond.”
Cavill is also extremely likable and is certainly no stranger to helping to breathe new life into iconic characters.
With all that said, sadly, it would seem Cavill doesn’t fit Amazon MGM’s requirements for the new 007 – at least going by what industry reports have noted.
Casting call information has not officially been released; however, last year, Deadline reported that the studio is looking for an “unknown” British actor in their late 20s or early 30s. If that’s true, it instantly rules out almost every actor who has been linked to the role in the new film.
Many fans might also consider the Superman actor “too famous” to play a character like 007. When Daniel Craig picked up the PPK in 2006, he wasn’t a household name. Cavill, on the other hand, has been a globally recognizable actor since donning the red cape in Man of Steel in 2013.
Cavill is currently busy working on Amazon MGM’s upcoming Highlander reboot, which reunites him with his Man of Steel co-star Russell Crowe.
There’s no release date for the untitled Bond reboot.
Who do you think the next James Bond will be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
