Why This James Bond Expert Believes Henry Cavill Will Never Land The Role

Though it continues to play release date shuffle thanks to a certain never-ending pandemic, the world will one day feast on the new James Bond movie No Time To Die. When the film finally does arrive in theaters, it will mark the official end of Daniel Craig's time in the role. Sad as that fact may be for some, it'll no doubt mark a unique challenge for whichever actor is tapped to step into the role in Craig's wake.

Since making his 007 debut with 2006's Casino Royale, Craig has, after all, become the James Bond for an entire generation of film lovers — so much so that many simply cannot imagine another actor in the role. Nonetheless, the big screen Bond show will go on. And yes, there will be a new face in the role when the next film makes its way to cinemas.

As was the case prior to Craig's casting, names of actors from all walks are being bandied about as frontrunners primed to make the role of James Bond their own. One of the most prominent is DC's very own Man of Steel Henry Cavill. Indeed, the beefy actor's name has been attached to the coveted role since the moment Craig announced No Time To Die would be his last hurrah as 007, largely because Cavill just missed landing the role himself prior to Craig's casting. 

For his part, Cavill has remained quite vocal about his desire to play the martini-loving spy when the long-running Bond franchise does reboot, telling Men's Health earlier this year, "It would be a great, fun role to play."

Unfortunately, a renowned Bond expert believes Cavill will once again be bypassed for the role, because he's just too famous these days.

The Bond scholar in question is International Journal of James Bond Studies editor Dr. Ian Kinane. The good doctor recently spoke with the folks at Express U.K., laying out a few theories about who might play James Bond next. Dr. Kinane made very clear his doubts about Cavill landing the role, implying the actor's turns as DC's Superman and in the Mission Impossible franchise have made him "too big" for Bond. He then dashed the hopes of anyone eyeing the likes of Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, or Tom Hiddleston for much the same reason.

Specific to Cavill, however, Dr. Kinane did temper his opinion with a bit of hope as history suggests the actor's past dealings with Bond might just put him ahead of the pack. "Everyone saw Pierce Brosnan coming because he auditioned years and years before. Everyone saw Timothy Dalton coming again because he auditioned years and years before." So famous or not, history implies Henry Cavill may still get his shot at playing 007.

That being said, Dr. Kinane is convinced a lesser-known actor will ultimately win the part, and even named a few who might have an inside track. "Jamie Bell is a good choice because he performed in a movie called Film Stars Only Die in Liverpool which was produced by [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli. I'd also say perhaps James Norton. He has a particular kind of recognizable Britishness that melded I think with a potential to be hardened in much the same way Daniel Craig has."

Scholarly intuition aside, it's safe to say Dr. Kinane is as much in the dark as anyone about who'll win the role. Needless to say, Henry Cavill's name will be in the mix right up until it isn't.