With his looks and acting persona, British actor Henry Cavill feels like a natural fit for the James Bond role. So, for movie-goers, it has remained a mystery why the 41-year-old actor has yet to don the tuxedo as James Bond, cinema’s most famous spy. Cavill seems like an obvious choice to take the Aston Martin out for a spin and for the first time since 2005, the James Bond role is open after Daniel Craig stepped down in 2021’s No Time to Die. Casting rumors have seen the usual suspects crop up time and time again, from Idris Elba to Aaron Taylor Johnson, but Cavill’s name has never dropped from the race.

Cavill possesses the qualities to play any spy with the style and suave you may expect from James Bond. Henry Cavill’s best movies tend not to utilize these attributes, as the Jersey-born actor is most known for his ill-fated time as Superman, the all-American superhero. However, in 2015, Cavill flexed his Bond muscles in an acting sense (and in a literal sense) in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. This spy film was directed by British director Guy Ritchie, best known for his explosive Sherlock Holmes duo of films.

The Man From UNCLE Was Henry Cavill’s Perfect James Bond Replacement

2015’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a reboot of the MGM television series which aired from 1964 to 1968. The original show featured U.N.C.L.E, an international spy agency and two protagonists, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, a pair of clashing spies who must work together in the best interests of the planet. The American character of Solo was originally played by Robert Vaughn, but in Ritchie’s film, the role was given to Henry Cavill. Whilst not in his native British accent, Solo was the perfect opportunity for Cavill to showcase his stylish sleuthing abilities and his physical action skills.

Cavill can be seen in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. dressed exactly as his James Bond might look, from a fitted black suit to a silenced weapon. Alongside Armie Hammer as Kuryakin, Cavill is pitted against a villainous Elizabeth Debicki in a globe-trotting thriller that functions perfectly as his Bond audition. Cavill is charming and formidable, balancing the fun side of this action hero with a more serious gravitas when needed. Unfortunately, any chance of a sequel was blown by the film’s box office returns. On a budget of $75 million, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. only brought in $115 million, losing Warner Bros. a reported estimate of $80 million when factoring in all expenses and revenues.

Henry Cavill’s James Bond History Explained (Will He Ever Play 007?)

With Superman And Geralt Behind Him, Henry Cavill Is Well-Positioned For Taking On The Role

Henry Cavill has been included in the hypothetical conversations around Bond casting since the early 2000s, having secured an audition for Bond in Craig’s first outing, Casino Royale. At 22 years old, Cavill was seen as too young for the role despite having the perfect looks. Cavill then went on to portray Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel to his disastrous cameo in 2022’s Black Adam. Between those films, he also played American CIA agent August Walker in Mission Impossible: Fallout, as well as the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes in both Enola Holmes films.

Timing-wise, Cavill is now in a good position to take on the Bond role. As his Superman reign has come to an end, as is his association with The Witcher’s lead role. Cavill has the freedom to attach himself to a new flagship franchise. In a 2024 interview, the actor commented on the James Bond role, saying “I have no idea. All I’ve got to go off is the rumors.”

Henry Cavill’s Other Spy Movie Was Very Different From The Man From UNCLE

Cavil Has Had Two Shots At Starring In Spy Movies

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is not the only time Henry Cavill has taken on the shoes of an espionage agent. In 2024, he starred in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, an explosive action-comedy that saw him take on the role of a fictitious spy named Aubrey Argylle. The film follows Dallas Bryce Howard as Elly, a writer who finds herself embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after her books seem to predict real-world events. Whilst Cavill appears as the spy in various fantasy sequences, Argylle does not offer him the same opportunities as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to put his best Bond impersonation to the test.

Like The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Argylle was not a box office success. On a budget of $200 million, the film only grossed $96.2 million and was critically derided, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 33%. Whilst Vaughn planned a shared universe franchise for Argylle and the Kingsman films, the financial catastrophe may be enough to halt any future installments. Now there’s an open position for 007, Cavill does seem like the perfect James Bond candidate on paper, but with two box office bombs under his belt, the actor hasn’t had good luck when it comes to spy roles. Perhaps the brains behind the James Bond franchise will take a chance on him regardless.