Henry Cavill auditioned for Casino Royale, but the role ultimately went to Daniel Craig.
The Witcher star Henry Cavill has long been a fan favorite fantasy casting choice for the role of James Bond, and the actor was even up for the role in the 2006 film Casino Royale. Cavill has spoken about his audition in the past, suggesting that maybe the reason he wasn’t cast was because he wasn’t in great enough shape at the time to convincingly look the part. Director Martin Campbell, who also helmed GoldenEye with Pierce Brosnan, refutes this in a new interview with Express, revealing that there was nothing wrong with Cavill’s appearance or his acting — he was just simply too young for the role.
“He looked great in the audition,” Campbell recalls. “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.”
With no casting choice announced for Bond 26, it’s theoretically possible that Cavill could still take on the role of James Bond for the next film in the series, now that he’s much older. But is the 40-year-old now too old for the role, ironically putting him out of the running for the opposite reason this time? Perhaps, as Campbell suggests, given how long the producers want to keep their Bond actors in the franchise.
“By the time Daniel got to [No Time to Die] really he was at an age where one more would have been too old for him,” the director explains. “I think they sign on for three Bonds, I’m not absolutely 100 percent certain of that. I know with Pierce [Brosnan] he had to sign on to three when we did him. So that’s going to take, what, six years of your life maybe? I suspect Daniel [had] the same deal. And the next guy’s going to have to do that.”
Campbell added, “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. He’s in good shape, Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically he was too young.”
Who Will Become the Next James Bond?
It’s inevitable that a 26th James Bond movie will be released, but ever since Daniel Craig retired from the role, no new names have been announced as a replacement. There has apparently been no rush into making the next film, and until an official announcement comes, fans will continue to offer their suggestions. The rumor mill will certainly also continue to spin with different names reportedly in consideration for the part in recent months, such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, and Taron Egerton, among others.
Meanwhile, Cavill is setting his sights on his next big franchise. After his exit from The Witcher, a show in which he’ll be seen one last time in its upcoming third season, Cavill will next star in a Warhammer 40k series for Prime Video.
