Following the announcement that Amazon MGM Studios is officially in charge of the 007 franchise, billionaire Jeff Bezos took to X (formerly Twitter) to pose a simple but loaded question: “Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” Naturally, the internet is in a total frenzy, with a large contingent of fans shrieking for Henry Cavill to get the iconic role.
For a while now, fans of Bond have been embroiled in a never-ending dispute over who should follow Daniel Craig in the role after his last performance in No Time to Die. Some candidates have been mentioned so often that they might as well be called the legacy characters of the moment: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Aaron Pierre, Regé-Jean Page, and Theo James, to name a few. Yet one name keeps surfacing: Henry Cavill.
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The Bond conversation is not new to Cavill. In the early 2000s, he was a serious contender for the part; many were sure he would be the next Bond after Pierce Brosnan. Yesterday, he turned 41, making him well past the “early 30s” sweet spot that Bond producer Barbara Broccoli once mentioned as a key casting criterion. Of course, this is all theoretical. Tomorrow, Amazon could continue the vision of the previous Bond producers. Or it could cast a wider net in the appearance department. If that’s the case, then maybe age isn’t the issue it once seemed to be.
All of this has a link to Amazon as well. The company is already working closely with Henry Cavill on two major projects—his passion project, Warhammer 40,000, and a live-action Voltron movie. Cavill is basically the new golden boy for Amazon. If the studio wants to glide smoothly into its Bond era, then maybe the best way to do that is to cast someone who’s already familiar to audiences and has a fair amount of proven star power.
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Undoubtedly, a substantial question mark looms over all of this. Cavill’s calendar is jammed with Highlander, In the Grey, and his Warhammer work; it’s a too-tight timetable for him to fit into the tuxedoes required of 007.
Right now, the Bond story is still uncertain. Amazon MGM Studios has been mum about its shortlist for the storied part, and until a real announcement is made, it’s all supposition. But when you consider the fandom and the strong Amazon backing behind Henry Cavill, as well as his strange ability to portray the character, he feels like a very safe bet for a role that’s been rumored for him for a long time.
At this moment, if you were to ask me who is most likely to be the next James Bond, I would definitely say Henry Cavill.
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Tell us, do you want Henry Cavill as the next James Bond? Or is he too old?
