Henry Cavill’s James Bond audition tape for Casino Royale has been uncovered 20 years after he lost out on the role to Daniel Craig.
The British actor is among the favourites to replace Craig as the next 007, and now fans have been given a glimpse of Cavill’s interpretation of the character, they’re even more convinced that he’d be the perfect casting.
In the tape – which was uploaded to YouTube by user Ron South, who claims the footage was found in a studio recycle bin – Cavill is seen sporting a long, slicked-back hairdo as he delivers some of Bond’s most iconic lines from the Pierce Brosnan-led GoldenEye.
Henry Cavill’s screen test for James Bond in 2006 has been released. pic.twitter.com/O0SOxOoza3
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 7, 2025
“Bond, James Bond,” the Superman actor says before ordering a “vodka martini, shaken, not stirred”. Despite giving a strong audition, the role ultimately went to Craig, who went on to star in five Bond films before bowing out with 2021’s No Time To Die.
Cavill’s tape has since been doing the rounds on social media, and while many fans feel that he may not have been ready for the role back then, they now consider him to be the perfect fit.
“Oh he’s definitely going to be Bond if they release this,” wrote one person on X. Another posted: “I can see why they wouldn’t have gone with him, plus Craig is just phenomenal. But Henry is much more suited for the role today than he was 20 years ago.”
In April last year, Cavill suggested that he may now be “too old” to play Bond, despite the persistent rumours linking him to the role.
“All I have to go off of is the rumours,” he said. “I have the same information you have. Maybe I’m too old now or maybe I’m not. We’ll see what the [producers’] plans are.”
In March of 2024, it was reported that EON Production had offered Aaron Taylor-Johnson the job after he impressed producer Barbara Broccoli in a screen test. The actor was asked about the rumours in April, but swerved the question, as he had done multiple times previously. Neither he nor the producers have confirmed or denied the speculation.