Is Henry Cavill The New James Bond? Let’s Take A Look At Casino Royale’s Director Statements

While we wait to know who will be the next 007, we can analyze some curious facts from the past. In this case, the director of Casino Royale Martin Campbell revealed that Henry Cavill could be the new James Bond. He indicated that the audition that the actor presented was fantastic and that if it wasn’t for the presence of Daniel Craig, he would have gotten the role.

Campbell indicated that the franchise reboot needed an actor with a good profile after the departure of Pierce Brosnan in 2002. Henry Cavill was one of the main candidates for the new James Bond. The director commented that this actor received nothing but praise and congratulations from the team that was casting the production.

Is Henry Cavill the New James Bond? Let’s Take a Look at His Past Audition 

Image: Sony Pictures/Marvel/BBC

With the loss of the Superman role, many of us wonder if the next James Bond is Henry Cavill. The British actor is at the top of his game and enjoys a lot of love from the public. However, it seems that his projects are not progressing as they should, and some are being cancelled. In an interview that director Martin Campbell had with Express UK, he revealed that Henry Cavill had the potential to be the new James Bond in the 2006 movie. His comments show that his performance was off the charts, with the body almost ideal for the role. However, one stumbling block was his age, as he seemed a bit young for what they were looking for. The filmmaker detailed that if Daniel Craig was not among the applicants, Cavill would be the spy in this story. Part of the statements were the following:

Martin Campbell’s Statements About 007 Casting

“He looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous, And look, 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.”

The filmmaker also indicated that he did not favor Cavill’s choice of actor in the audition. He also stated their system when choosing an actor for a film. On this, he stated in the interview the following:

“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, 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.”

Campbell was asked if Henry Cavill is the new James Bond or if he is being considered to relaunch the franchise. He commented that in 2006 only problem in had was his young age. This incompatibility was one of the main reasons that caused Craig to win the job. Yet, currently, the British actor is currently in his prime and could get the role. 

The Decision to Cast Craig Was not Well Accepted

Image via Lionsgate

The decision to cast Daniel Craig as Agent 007 was not met with the desired reactions in the press. According to an interview with Debbie McWilliams, the media attacked the actor in different ways; however, in an atypical case, the actor decided to use all this media tension to his advantage. On this, he commented:

“It was unbelievably negative, I have to say, The press response was awful and I felt so sorry for him, but in a funny kind of a way I think it almost spurred him on to do his damndest to prove everybody wrong.”

She commented by also “The whole way through the film, stuff would come out about he couldn’t walk and talk, he couldn’t run, he couldn’t drive a car properly, so much stuff which was completely and utterly untrue, And he just kept his head down, got on with the job and then the film came out and everybody went, ‘Oh wow, I think we quite like him after all.”

Is Henry Cavill the new James Bond? To answer this question, we have to look at several aspects. First, we have the actor’s cache, which is quite high due to his popularity. The second is the statements of Barbara Broccoli, the chief producer of the James Bond film series. The executive said that they are looking for a young actor, so Cavill may already be out of that range. Finally, we have the aspect that they are looking for a relatively unknown actor. With this last requirement, the British actor’s fame may work against him. 

Featured Image Via Warner Bros.