Jeff Bezos Polls Fans on Next James Bond, Clear Favorite Emerges

Following the surprising news that Amazon has assumed full creative control of the James Bond franchise, with veteran producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson stepping aside, the burning question remains: who will step into the iconic role of 007?

Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, posed this very question to his followers on X / Twitter, and the response was overwhelmingly clear.

While names like Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have been floated as potential candidates, with Aaron previously rumored to be a frontrunner, the fan favorite is unmistakably Henry Cavill.

Henry Cavill quickly became a trending topic online after Bezos' tweet, fueled by the enthusiasm of countless James Bond fans eager to see the Superman and Witcher star take over from Daniel Craig.

With Amazon now at the helm, speculation is rife about whether Cavill's chances of donning the 007 mantle have improved. Cavill's recent commitment to star in and produce Amazon's highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000 project adds to the intrigue. Could this be a stepping stone to playing Bond?

It's worth noting that Cavill had previously auditioned for the role during the casting of 2006's Casino Royale, an audition that director Martin Campbell described as "tremendous." Despite his impressive performance, the then 23-year-old Cavill was deemed too young, and the role went to Daniel Craig.

In a 2023 interview with The Express, Campbell praised Cavill, saying, "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."

Cavill himself reflected on the experience in an interview with Josh Horowitz, stating, "It was ultimately down to, and this is what I’ve been told, it was just down to me and Daniel, and I was the younger option. They obviously went with Daniel and I think it was an amazing choice to go with Daniel. I probably wasn’t ready at the time and I think Daniel did an incredible job over the past movies, so I’m happy they made that choice."

As the search for the next James Bond intensified following Daniel Craig's departure after No Time to Die, the question of Cavill's suitability has resurfaced. Campbell added, "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. I think they sign on for three Bonds, I’m not absolutely 100% certain of that. I know with Pierce [Brosnan] he had to sign on to three when we did him. So, that’s going to take, what, six years of your life maybe? I suspect Daniel [had] the same deal. And the next guy’s going to have to do that. Henry’s 40, so by the time he’s done the third one he’s going to be 50. Anything beyond that’s two, three years per Bond. He’s in good shape Henry, he’s a good guy. He did very well in the audition, but ironically, he was too young."