Martin Campbell, the director of Casino Royale, recently revealed in an interview with Express UK that Henry Cavill was a strong contender for the role of James Bond before Daniel Craig secured the iconic role in the 2006 franchise reboot. Campbell praised Cavill’s audition, commending his appearance and acting abilities–but at the time, the actor was considered too young for the role.

Campbell clarified that he did not favor Cavill–who was 22 at the time–over Craig during the audition process, explaining the democratic nature of the decision-making.

“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–it’s very democratic,” Campbell said. “You sit around a table, eight or nine of you…you go through the eight 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.”

Ironically, Campbell notes, despite speculation regarding Cavill’s potential suitability for the role–he may now be too old. “Henry’s 40, so 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,” Campbell said.

As of now, there is no set timeline for the announcement of the next James Bond actor. The selection process will likely involve careful consideration and discussions among the production team, taking into account the actor’s suitability for the role and the future direction of the franchise.

Following Amazon Studios’ acquisition of the worldwide rights to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise in December 2022, Cavill was announced as both the star and executive producer of upcoming projects associated with the franchise. Cavill is a well-known fan of the Warhammer games, as well.