In a surprising turn of events, Amazon has taken full creative control of the James Bond franchise, with the iconic series' long-time producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, stepping away. This development has sparked a massive debate over who should step into the shoes of the legendary spy, 007.
Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, turned to his followers on X / Twitter to gauge public opinion on the matter, and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of Henry Cavill. While names like Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson were floated as potential candidates, it's Cavill who has emerged as the clear fan favorite.
AnswerSee ResultsFollowing Bezos' tweet, Henry Cavill quickly became a trending topic online, driven by enthusiastic support from James Bond fans eager to see the Superman and The Witcher star take on the role. This surge in popularity has led to speculation about whether Cavill's chances of becoming the next 007 have improved, especially given his recent commitment to star in and produce Amazon's highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000 project.
Cavill's history with the Bond franchise adds an intriguing layer to the conversation. He famously auditioned for the role during the casting of 2006's Casino Royale, an audition that director Martin Campbell described as "tremendous." However, at the age of 23, Cavill was deemed too young, and the role went to Daniel Craig. Campbell later reflected on Cavill's audition in a 2023 interview with The Express, stating, "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."
Cavill himself has spoken about his near-miss with the role, sharing in an interview with Josh Horowitz, "It was ultimately down to, and this is what I’ve been told, it was just down to me and Daniel, and I was the younger option. They obviously went with Daniel and I think it was an amazing choice to go with Daniel. I probably wasn’t ready at the time and I think Daniel did an incredible job over the past movies, so I’m happy they made that choice."
The search for the next James Bond intensified after Daniel Craig's departure with No Time to Die. Martin Campbell noted, "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." He also mentioned the typical commitment to the franchise, saying, "I think they sign on for three Bonds, I’m not absolutely 100% 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."
Considering Cavill's age, Campbell added, "Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50. 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."
With Amazon now at the helm, the future of James Bond looks set to take an exciting new direction, and fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of who will be the next to don the iconic tuxedo.
