Fifteen years ago, the choice for a new James Bond came down to three men – Daniel Craig, Henry Cavill and Sam Worthington. Craig, then 37, was considered the front runner for the part and ultimately got it.
Cavill, a young and upcomer from the likes of “Tristan and Isolde” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” reportedly highly impressed with his audition. Trouble was he was just 22 at the time and deemed far too young for a character to have reached the status of Commander in the Royal Navy before graduating to the Secret Service. After passing he went on to join the cast of Showtime’s “The Tudors” where he and Natalie Dormer both launched successful careers from.
Cut to today. Craig’s final outing in the role with “No Time To Die” hits cinemas shortly, but the actor is done with the part and so producers have to turn to look at what comes next. Cavill, now perfect for the role age wise at 37 and with a much more substantial film and TV catalogue behind him, recently spoke with GQ magazine and confirms he’s still very interested in taking on the role:
“If Barbara [Bond producer Barbara Broccoli] and Mike [co-producer Michael G. Wilson] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity. At this stage, it’s all up in the air. We’ll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting.”
The closest Cavill has come to showing off his spy skills is with Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” where he received good notices for his work. Cavill’s Superman commitments look highly uncertain in the near future which leaves the door open for the Bond opportunity. The actor is currently shooting the second season of “The Witcher” for Netflix.
“No Time To Die,” arguably the only major studio film set to be released theatrically before Christmas, arrives in November.