Henry Cavill Finally Gets To Play James Bond - But Not The Way You Think
Before wearing the crest for the House of El in "Man of Steel," Henry Cavill tried to get himself the sought-after license to kill and became one of the actors who almost played James Bond. Unfortunately, fortune favored Daniel Craig as the hero instead, but even after missing out on the part, Cavill has been linked to the role ever since, whether he liked it or not.
In the time that the latest Bond has come and gone as the world's most famous spy, fans are still keen to see Cavill pick up the 007 rank and take over, regardless of rumors that James Bond producers may have found Daniel Craig's 007 successor. But while the world waits with anticipation to see who's down for the job as the next iteration of Bond, Cavill has found himself playing a character in "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" who's considered the inspiration for the world-famous agent.
This new WWII romp follows the off-the-books activities of a band of slightly ungentlemanly gentlemen who were the template for Bond himself, with a lot of credit going toward Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill). How did these chaotic character traits find their way into the public eye and the various adventures of 007, though? It was all courtesy of a liaison officer monitoring their activities as part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). His name was Fleming. Ian Fleming.
The Ministry made James Bond
James Bond became a cocktail of characters from among the Ministry's most revered members thanks to Ian Fleming, who monitored their activities as an SOE liaison officer. According to Brian Lett's "Ian Fleming and Operation Postmaster," Gus March-Phillipps was a wine connoisseur passionate about vintage cars. Lett wrote, "Phillips had a contempt for pen-pushers and red tape and would disregard them with alacrity when he thought he could get away with it." It's certainly a trait that Bond was known for, along with some of the other members of the Ministry who appear in the film.
While it's not shown as much in the film, Alan Ritchson's hulking archer, Anders Lassen, was a globe-trotting womanizer, and Alex Pettyfer's Geoffrey Appleyard was known as being the coolest customer among the bunch. In the eyes of his co-stars, though, Cavill is still a prime pick for whenever James Bond does make a comeback. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Eiza González acknowledged that Cavill was and still is an ideal pick for the role: "It's hard not to look at Henry Cavill and think of James Bond, to be really honest. Obviously, I'm part of the group of people that are rooting for him to get it, hopefully, if that was a possibility."
For now, you can check out how Henry Cavill and the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" cast embraced overkill in our exclusive interview.