In a surprising turn of events, Amazon has assumed full creative control over the James Bond franchise, with veteran producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson stepping away from their roles. This shift has sparked widespread speculation and excitement about who will step into the iconic role of 007 next.

Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, took to X / Twitter to pose the question directly to fans, and the response was overwhelmingly clear. While names like Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson were thrown into the mix, one name emerged as the fan-favorite: Henry Cavill.

Following Bezos' tweet, Henry Cavill quickly became a trending topic online, fueled by the fervent support of James Bond fans eager to see the Superman and Witcher star take on the role once occupied by Daniel Craig. With Amazon now at the helm, speculation is rife about whether Cavill's involvement in Amazon's ambitious Warhammer 40,000 project could pave the way for him to don the 007 tuxedo.

Cavill's history with the Bond franchise is well-documented. He famously auditioned for the role during the casting of 2006's Casino Royale, an audition that director Martin Campbell praised 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 reflected on Cavill's audition, stating, "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 acknowledged the close call in an interview with Josh Horowitz, saying, "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."

With Daniel Craig's departure after No Time to Die, the search for the next James Bond has been underway. Campbell noted, "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 also mentioned the typical contract length for Bond actors, saying, "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."

Considering Cavill's current age of 40, Campbell mused, "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."

As Amazon takes the reins, the possibility of Henry Cavill stepping into the shoes of James Bond seems more plausible than ever, stirring excitement and anticipation among fans eager to see this new chapter unfold.