Henry Cavill's Ideal James Bond Would Be A Mashup Of Sean Connery And Daniel Craig
Henry Cavill has had a weird 2022. He's no longer Superman, despite having joined Dwayne Johnson's ill-fated campaign to control a piece of the DCU. And he's no longer starring in "The Witcher" after he dropped his hit Netflix show. He will, however, be leading a new "Warhammer 40,000" series for Amazon, the company that bought MGM and also happens to own half the rights to the James Bond movies.
Cavill famously lost out on the 007 role back in the early 2000s when Daniel Craig was cast. According to the "Man Of Steel" actor, the final choice was between Craig and a then 23-year-old Cavill, who was the "younger option." At the time, longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson went with 38-year-old Craig, who ushered in a new gritty age of Bond starting with 2006's "Casino Royale. Craig has officially retired from being Bond, however, and 20 years later, Cavill remains a favorite to replace him.
Cavill, having lost his Superman and Geralt of Rivia roles, isn't ruling out a second shot at becoming 007, or at least a shot at appearing in a Bond movie. Despite the next James Bond movie being years away, speculation about who will take over from Craig is widespread. And Cavill's name refuses to go away, even as the actor approaches 40. So let's just say Broccoli and Wilson do decide to finally give the guy a shot at being Bond. What kind of super-spy could we expect to see? Cavill, it seems, has had that figured out for a while.
Cavill would combine the best Bonds
Back when Martin Campbell and Eon Productions were casting their Bond for "Casino Royale," Henry Cavill saw his career get a big boost when news broke of his screen test for the role. According to a 2019 Men's Health interview with Cavill, the test required him to perform a scene from one of Sean Connery's Bond movies, with the actor saying he "probably could have prepared better."
Since that audition, he seems to have thought more about what he would do with the role. When asked about his view of Bond in a 2013 conversation with Interview Magazine, he said: "For me, Bond is a combination of [Sean] Connery and [Daniel] Craig." He went on and elaborated: "I just loved the coolness of Connery's Bond. He just oozes cool. And Craig was very real and powerful — you could practically smell the danger on him."
Connery was, of course, the first Bond, and his cool insouciance and impeccable line deliveries have cemented his legacy among many fans as the best 007 ever. And Craig? Well, he starred in the best movie in the franchise: "Casino Royale." He also starred in "No Time To Die," which, for me, is a shame. Nevertheless, both actors have supplied some of the most legendary 007 moments in the franchise's history, and Cavill evidently has good taste in Bond actors.
Whether we'll ever see Cavill's take of 007 on-screen obviously remains to be seen, but as far as I'm concerned, he's got the right idea. Sort of ...
Cavill is the obvious choice, not the best
How likely is it that Henry Cavill will get to showcase his take on Bond? Barbara Broccoli said in 2021 that she and Eon Productions wouldn't be confirming any casting for "a couple of years" and the producers are looking to focus on a Bond in his 30s. At this point, Cavill is 39 and Broccoli is looking for "a 10, 12-year commitment" from the next 007 actor. This doesn't rule out Cavill, necessarily, but given the fact that Daniel Craig was getting on a bit by the time he bowed out, it wouldn't be all that surprising if Broccoli and co. went for a younger lead.
Which wouldn't be a terrible thing. The Bond franchise needs to do something different next time around, if only to remain relevant. And Cavill seems like too easy of a choice with his public school accent and clean-cut looks. Also, if he's going to be rehashing Connery and Craig, he might run the risk of seeming too derivative, which is exactly what the Bond series does not need.
That said, Cavill certainly seems to fit the bill when it comes to what casting director Debbie McWilliams is looking for. When McWilliams explained how to cast a new 007, she said she was on the lookout for someone "who is attractive, physical, [and] capable of taking on not just the part but all the razzmatazz that goes with it." All of that sounds like something the former Superman actor could handle. But if Broccoli really is, as she told Deadline, looking to orchestrate a full "reinvention of Bond," she's going to need someone a little less obvious than Cavill and his Connery/Craig amalgamation to pull it off.