The announcement that Amazon now holds full creative authority over the James Bond franchise, with longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson taking a step back, has sent shockwaves through the industry. Naturally, the immediate question on everyone's mind is: who will be the next 007?

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos posed that very question to his followers on X (formerly Twitter), and the response was overwhelmingly clear.

While some fans are championing actors like Tom Hardy (Venom), Idris Elba (MCU), James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), or the previously rumored front-runner Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven), one name stands out as the definitive fan favorite: Henry Cavill.

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Shortly after Bezos's tweet, Henry Cavill began trending online, driven by a massive wave of support from James Bond fans eager to see The Witcher and Superman star succeed Daniel Craig.

This has led many to speculate whether Cavill's chances have significantly improved now that Amazon is calling the shots. Cavill is already attached to star in and produce Amazon's highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000 adaptation. Could a deal to play 007 be next?

It's well-known that Cavill auditioned for the role of James Bond during the casting for 2006's Casino Royale (a recording of which is available online). Casino Royale director Martin Campbell described Cavill's audition as "tremendous," but the actor, then only 23, was ultimately passed over for Daniel Craig because he was considered too young.

In a 2023 interview with The Express, Campbell reflected on Cavill: “He 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 chiseled. He just looked a little young at that time back then.”

“My understanding is that it ultimately came down to just Daniel and me, and I was the younger option,” Cavill recalled in an interview with Josh Horowitz.

“They obviously went with Daniel, which I believe was an incredible choice. I probably wasn’t ready back then, and Daniel did a phenomenal job across his films, so I'm glad they made that decision.”

The search for a new James Bond has been underway since Daniel Craig concluded his tenure with No Time to Die. But is Cavill still a viable candidate? “By the time Daniel made [No Time To Die], he was already at an age where doing another film would have been too demanding,” Campbell added.

“I believe actors typically sign on for three Bond films, though I'm not absolutely certain. I know with Pierce Brosnan, he committed to three movies when we cast him. That's a significant commitment, taking up perhaps six years of an actor's life. I suspect Daniel had a similar arrangement, and the next actor will face the same requirement.

“Henry is 40 now, so by the time he finished a hypothetical third film, he'd be around 50. These projects usually take two to three years each. Henry is in excellent shape and a great talent. His audition was very strong, but the irony is that back then, his youth was the very thing that held him back.”