#‘Casino Royale’ Director Says Henry Cavill Would’ve Made an “Excellent” James Bond if Daniel Craig “Didn’t Exist”

The coveted role of James Bond likely would’ve gone to Henry Cavill in the early 2000s if Daniel Craig hadn’t auditioned for it too.

In a recent interview with Express UK, GoldenEye and Casino Royale director Martin Campbell opened up about the audition process for the 2006 James Bond movie that introduced Craig’s 007. The role came down to a few actors, notably Cavill, who was in his early 20s at the time.

“He looked great in the audition,” Campbell told the publication. “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.”

Though Cavill may have looked a little too young at the time, the actor is now 40, and the director thinks he could potentially still play the part of Bond. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to representatives for Campbell.

“By the time Daniel got to [No Time To Die] really he was at an age where one more would have been too old for him,” he said. “Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50 and anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy.”

He explained that at the time he wasn’t favoring Cavill but marveled at the way James Bond is cast. He detailed that eight or nine people — including the director, producers and casting director — sit around a table and vote on who should be the next super spy. They go one by one through the finalists and have to discuss their choices until they all come to an unanimous decision.

In a previous cover story with The Hollywood Reporter, Cavill said that he is open to the possibility of taking on the iconic role now that Craig’s tenure as 007 is over.

“I think it would be very exciting to have a conversation with the producers,” the actor said. “In an ideal world, I’d never have to turn anything down. Nothing is off the table. It’s an honor to even be part of that conversation.”