Henry Cavill could’ve been James Bond if Daniel Craig simply didn’t exist

Daniel Craig’s time as James Bond has come, delivered plenty of satisfaction, and gone. The actor took on the role in 2006's Casino Royale, playing him for five movies total that wrapped with 2021's No Time To Die. But have you ever wondered who would’ve taken the 007 mantle if Craig hadn’t been cast after Pierce Brosnan stepped away as James Bond after 2002's Die Another Day? Wonder no more: Casino Royale’s director is opening up about a certain bewitching actor’s probability.

Henry Cavill auditioned to play the famous MI6 agent in Casino Royale back in the aughts, according to Martin Campbell. He recently told Express UK that Cavill looked great in the audition—better get the obvious fact out of the way, right? “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,” Campbell continued.

So Cavill wasn’t signed for multiple James Bond movies. But hey, he’s a handsome Hollywood actor, so he found another franchise or two to stick with over the years. Cavill played the DC Extended Universe’s Superman for multiple movies (no mustache was getting in the way of that). He’s also essayed Sherlock Holmes for two Enola Holmes movies so far, with a potential third film on its way to Netflix. Cavill is also Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, a role he’s passing on to Liam Hemsworth after three seasons.

So, yes, the actor has stayed booked and busy despite missing out back then. However, Campbell didn’t rule out the possibility of Cavill being the new Bond now that he’s 40. “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.” The director also said he’d be open to rebooting the franchise, but dispelled the rumor he’s still favoring The Witcher star after all this time. In doing so, he opened up more about how the casting process works, and apparently, it’s “very democratic.”

“I wasn’t favoring Henry. 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. You sit around a table, eight or nine of you. It was myself, the producers, the casting director, etc. And you go through the 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.”

Now that Campbell has efficiently explained how democracy works, let’s collectively be grateful to this team for casting Craig into a rule that he expertly navigated, breathing new life into the Bond movies. As for who will take his place next, the bet is ours to make.