Henry Cavill's 'tremendous' James Bond audition praised by director

Playing the role of James Bond 007 is one of the most prestigious in all of Hollywood and anyone that is next in line to fill the void of a departing actor certainly has a huge task at hand.

Whether it's the late great Sean Connery or Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan or the more recent Daniel Craig, fans of the 007 movie franchise can’t wait to see who’s next in line to say “shaken, not stirred”.

The most recent to play the iconic role is Daniel Craig, who debuted in the 2006 Casino Royale remake before hanging up the tuxedo in 2021’s No Time to Die. However, long before Craig’s time as the 00 agent came to an end, fans have been speculating, who’s next?

One name that is on the tip of most tongues is Man of Steel and Netflix’s The Witcher actor, Henry Cavill. Some of you may or may not know that Cavill nearly played the role of James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale, meaning that Daniel Craig almost wasn't one of the most beloved 00 agents ever.

As reported by IGN (via The Express), Henry Cavill was said to have given a “tremendous” audition, according to Casino Royale director, Martin Campbell.

“He looked great in the audition,” said Campbell. “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 chiselled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”

It remains to be seen who will take on the role of James Bond following Daniel Craig. A few names have been mentioned with the likes of not only Henry Cavill but also Tom Hardy and John Boyega. Yet, it’s been reported that one name has been ‘sealed’ and is ‘set to sign’, if not already.

One other popular name being mentioned amongst fans is Idris Elba, sadly it seems that the charismatic actor has been put off from ever playing James Bond due to the ‘racist backlash’, which is a damn shame.