Henry Cavill is the big screen's next super spy, just not the one that moviegoers are most familiar with. He stars as the titular spy in director Matthew Vaughn's twisty spy caper Argylle, which releases exclusively in movie theaters worldwide on February 2 before eventually makings its way to Apple TV Plus. However, many are wondering if another spy role lies in the actor’s future, asking is Henry Cavill going to be the next James Bond?
Daniel Craig, the most recent James Bond, concluded his run in the role with 2021's No Time to Die. Unsurprisingly, almost immediately after the movie's release speculation began as to who may be the next to don the tuxedo and order a martini (shaken, not stirred, of course).
Cavill's name has been a popular one (he's in What to Watch's own batch of potential next James Bond candidates) but certainly not the only one. There are many different factors that could go into deciding who ends up playing 007 in any future movies, which could mean Argylle is the closest movie fans ever get to seeing Cavill play a character like James Bond (or at least second-closest, as Cavill's character Solo from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. definitely has many James Bond qualities to him, aside from him being an American CIA agent).
That's impossible to know for sure of course until Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson come out and say who is their next James Bond. However, the internet loves to speculate and many interviewers can't help themselves but to ask questions to see if they can get any discernible nugget that hints at how the Bond team or Cavill is feeling about the future of the role.
Clearing we're not immune from this either. Using recent quotes from Broccoli, Wilson, Cavill and others, let's breakdown if Henry Cavill as Bond still seems like a realistic possibility or if Argylle and other movies, like the previous The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or the upcoming The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (where Bond author Ian Fleming is actually a character), are going to be the closest we ever get to Cavill playing James Bond.
Henry Cavill on James Bond: 'I neither agree nor disagree'
Before we get into more recent comments by Cavill, let's start off with a bit of history — Cavill was actually already very nearly James Bond. He was one of the actors that auditioned for James Bond the last time the role was up for grabs following Pierce Brosnan's exit after Die Another Day.
Casino Royale director Martin Campbell told Variety in an interview in June 2023 that Cavill "looked great in the audition. His acting was tremendous." He added "if Daniel [Craig] didn't exist, Henry would have made an excellent Bond," which seems to imply that Cavill was the alternative choice at the time.
That is something Cavill's Argylle director, Matthew Vaughn, confirmed in an interview he and Cavill participated in on Sirius XM radio. When auditions for James Bond in Casino Royale were underway, Vaughn was working with Daniel Craig on the movie Layer Cake. He recalled hearing about Cavill from Craig during the audition process and said he heard Campbell "preferred" Cavill's audition to Craig's; Campbell, in the Variety interview, says that he did not "favor" Cavill during the audition process.
Either way, Vaughn is high on Cavill as Bond. In an interview with Total Film, Vaughn said "... there is no one better on this planet who, if you read an Ian Fleming Bond book, is better for Bond than Henry Cavill." Also, in the Sirius XM interview, he added, "[Cavill] would be excellent, but it's unfair for him to discuss about a project that he might be involved with or not and ruin it because of a question."
That last bit is very interesting. While Vaughn offers a qualifier, he hints that Cavill may indeed be in the running for the next James Bond.
Cavill, for this part, didn't shut down Vaughn's statement, saying in the interview "I neither agree nor disagree with anything" and "I have nothing to say about that." That's a good bit of diplomacy on Cavill's part, knowing anything he says is going to fuel internet discourse (again, fully aware I'm contributing to that with this article). However, it's worth noting because Cavill has shared his enthusiasm for projects he wants to do before (a recent example, Warhammer 40,000). But Bond is a different beast entirely; even if he wants to shout it from the rooftops, the producers and studios involved would likely have sworn him to secrecy and, as Vaughn, alludes, hinting at it could jeopardize his chances of landing the role.
Speaking of those producers…
Bond producers on the next James Bond: 'we haven't even begun'
Long-time Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are going to have a heavy hand in who plays the next James Bond, but as they put it, the process is still in the very early stages.
Of course there have been rumors and speculation about what they want to do for Bond moving forward ever since No Time to Die came out. One theory was that they would go with a younger James Bond, but Wilson seemingly shot that idea down in a 2022 interview:
"We've tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualize it doesn't work. Remember, Bond is already a veteran. He's had some experience. He's a person who's been through the wars, so to speak. He's probably been in the SAS or something. He isn't some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That's why it works for a 30-something."
That seemingly shoots down the notion that a fresh-face young actor will be the next Bond, which ironically is one of the chief reasons Cavill, who was in his early 20s when he auditioned for Bond previously, lost out on Casino Royale.
However, Broccoli told The Guardian as recently as fall 2023 that they are still in the very early stages of what the future of James Bond looks like.
"I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there's a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven't even begun with that."
If Broccoli is to be taken at her word, then we could be in for one of the longest gaps in the franchise's history. Heck, the gap between Spectre and No Time to Die was six years (tied for the longest break with the transition from Timothy Dalton's Licence to Kill and Pierce Brosnan's GoldenEye) and that involved no search for a new Bond; though the movie did face a myriad of issues itself, not least of all the pandemic that delayed it by a year.
Chances Henry Cavill is the next James Bond
As things stand right now, Cavill is widely seen as one of the favorites to be the next James Bond. In the betting market, Cavill is the current second favorite to Bullet Train and Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson (9/4).
He would seemingly have an inside track as someone who has been seen by the producers for the role before and was, allegedly, the alternative to Daniel Craig. However, the same thing that kept him from being Bond then may be the biggest question mark once again, but this time it being the opposite issue: is Henry Cavill too old to play James Bond?
That may seem far-fetched based on Wilson's comments on wanting a Bond that looks like they've been around the block and the fact that Cavill is only 40 and is still starring in plenty of action movies, but let's think about it for a second. Craig was 38 years old when Casino Royale came out and 47 when Spectre, his fourth Bond movie and one that nearly drove him to retire from the role, was released. Cavill is 40 now, but he turns 41 in May 2024, and we know that there's no new Bond movie this year. Even if they announced a new Bond tomorrow, the earliest it would likely come out is summer/fall of 2025, at which point Cavill would be 42, and there's a really good chance the next Bond movie will actually come out later than that. But if he's who the producers want and Cavill is up for it, then perhaps, as they say, age is just a number (Cavill's Mission: Impossible co-star Tom Cruise continues to do death-defying stunts in that franchise and he's in his 60s).
Of course, Cavill's schedule is also a factor. IMDb lists Cavill as having four projects at various stages of production (aside from the previously mentioned The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare releasing in April). Those include an untitled Guy Ritchie movie, The Rosie Project, Squadron 42 and a Highlander reboot. IMDb does not include another project we previously mentioned, Warhammer 40,000, which again is seen as a passion project for Cavill, or the possibility of Argylle sequels.
Could he make room for Bond if he wanted? Sure. And again, it could be a while before Bond even gets in front of the cameras, so these projects may all be done and his schedule free and clear.
Should Henry Cavill play James Bond?
Taking all that in, now's the point where I guess I have to offer my two cents on all this. If Henry Cavill were to be named James Bond, I think the choice would make a lot of sense. He's got a natural charisma and a persona that would fit the character like a glove.
However, Cavill is already an A-list star without playing Bond, so he certainly doesn't need the role. And for a franchise that is looking to reinvent itself for a new generation, someone less established as Cavill or that offers something different than what we've traditionally thought of from James Bond would help in that regard.
Remember, Craig was initially panned when he was picked for Bond; little known and not what we were accustomed to James Bond looking like (a blonde Bond, the horror). But once we saw him in Casino Royale he became one of the iconic iterations of the character because of the unique qualities he brought to the role.
Cavill was great in a Bond-esque role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and plays a heightened version of a super spy in Argylle. I'd be good with that and would love to see him keep doing other things. But, if Bond 26 stars Henry Cavill, I'll still be there opening weekend to watch with excitement.
