Henry Cavill’s unsuccessful audition for Casino Royale released

Henry Cavill's audition to play James Bond has just showed up online from the time he was being considered to star in 2006's Casino Royale.

It happened shortly after Piece Brosnan's last appearance as the 007 agent in 2002's Die Another Day. After Brosnan's departure from this series, many actors auditioned for the role. It eventually went to Daniel Craig, who starred in Martin Campbell's franchise reboot in 2006. He ended his stint with 2021's No Time to Die.

Besides Craig, Cavill was also in contention to play James Bond. Here's a video of the audition that recently surfaced online:

At the time of these auditions, Cavill was fairly young and had starred only in a handful of projects like 2001's Vendetta, 2002's The Count of Monte Cristo, and 2003's I Capture the Castle. He hadn't become DC Studio's Superman. So, his newly-surfaced audition offers an exclusive look at his approach to playing this suave spy.

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Henry Cavill’s audition for the James Bond role: Details explored

(Post via X/@DiscussingFilm)

Over the years, Henry Cavill has become a beloved icon for comic book fans. Whether it is DC's Superman or The Witcher's Geralt of Rivia, he has carved a niche for himself in similar roles that require gravitas. So, it doesn't feel surprising that he was once considered for the role of the 007 agent.

After Pierce Brosnan left the franchise, Henry Cavill was one of the frontrunners to play James Bond. If his audition had been successful, Cavill would have led projects like Spectre (2015) and Skyfall (2012).

While Daniel Craig's performance received love and recognition, Henry Cavill fans might have wanted to see his take on this iconic role. They're in luck, as Cavill's audition tape has recently appeared online. It shows the Man of Steel star reading out the "vodka martini, shaken not stirred" dialogue from 1995's GoldenEye.

In 2023, Casino Royale director Martin Campbell spoke with Express.co.uk about Cavill's James Bond audition.

“He [Henry Cavill] 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.”

Back then, Cavill was about 22 years old, and now he is in his early forties. So, he is likely not being considered for this role anymore. However, if you want to watch Cavill play a clever, hard-nosed spy, you might want to watch The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) or Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018).

There's another James Bond connection to one of Cavill's roles. In Guy Ritchie's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Cavill played Gus March-Phillipps, who is said to be a key inspiration for Ian Fleming's 007-agent character.

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Also read: Aaron Taylor-Johnson opens up about his possible James Bond role: Reports