Henry Cavill James Bond first footage appears online

James Bond is an iconic role many actors covet, as we can see from this first glimpse of Henry Cavill as the famous spy.

As any James Bond fan knows, Cavill has yet to play the part. However, he did once audition for the role and was described as being “tremendous” by director Martin Campbell.

The Casino Royale director even went as far as to say that if Daniel Craig “didn’t exist”, Cavill would have got the part.

Campbell told The Daily Express, “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 chiselled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”

Footage from that 2005 audition has now appeared online for the first time via Ron South’s YouTube channel, featuring Cavill reading iconic lines, such as “Bond, James Bond” and “Shaken not stirred”.

What do you think to a young Cavill as James Bond?

Even though it matters little what fans think about this footage given its age, there’s plenty of discussion regarding the clip.

“I'm impressed, considering how young he was then. Now, he'd nail it,” commented user @ginawhite7228.

Another user added, “But now he's ready to be Bond.”

The general consensus is that Cavill was too young back in 2005. However, he’s since grown into an excellent actor and one who many believe is destined to play Bond.

“Wasn’t ready yet but now that he’s older he’d be perfect,” remarked @bacster99.

Fellow fan @CHARLLIEBENBERG-x1e said, “Henry Cavill would make a perfect addition to the list of James Bond 007 stars.”

The question now is whether Cavill will eventually play the part that everyone believes he’s perfect for.

Who will play James Bond next has been talked about ever since Daniel Craig stepped down from the role. Everyone has an opinion on the subject, even those not well versed in Bond lore.

We might never get Cavill playing Bond, not officially anyway. But on this corner of the internet, there’s footage of what could have been if he’d been chosen.