For almost as long as Daniel Craig has played the role of James Bond, The Witcher and Superman star Henry Cavill has been associated with the prospects of one day stepping into that famed tuxedo. Betting odds have seen the man’s fortunes rise and fall over time, with consistently strong showings in the top 10. Though Henry Cavill may not be tops in the Bond odds, he’s ahead in one key measure as he weighs in on the 007 role yet again.
The Key Measure Henry Cavill's 007 Odds Are Ahead In
Odds-wise, the once and potentially future Superman is still a top field finisher, though not at the head of the 007 odds pack. When we last checked in on James Bond odds, it was a tie between Venom: Let There Be Carnage star Tom Hardy and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and The Umbrella Academy leading man Tom Hopper. US betting site Oddschecker seems to have given Hardy a slight lead in that respect; however, they brought in a new and interesting key measure into play: the most bets in the field are being placed on Henry Cavill. Based on popularity among bettors, here’s how the rankings shake out:
- Henry Cavill - 14.75%
- Jamie Bell - 10.93%
- Idris Elba - 10.83%
- Richard Madden - 7.65%
- Tom Hardy - 6.01%
Again, this isn’t the ranking of candidates based on their odds of landing the role of James Bond. Rather, this is the ranking of how popular these candidates are with the betting public. Breaking it down into the terms of the data from Oddschecker, while Tom Hardy’s odds are the best in the Bond pack, he’s the fifth most popular choice that bettors are actually putting their money on. Maybe this new statistic is why Henry Cavill is so keen to continue stoking the fires on his 007 candidacy.
How Henry Cavill Weighed In On His James Bond Buzz
During a recent interview with THR, the subject of Cavill’s Bond buzz resurfaced yet again. As the actor is continuing to hype up the second season of The Witcher, as well as his role in director Matthew Vaughn's 007 adjacent film Argylle, people are still talking about the man’s potential as the seventh official James Bond. In his own diplomatic way, Henry Cavill fed the hype while remaining extremely grounded, through the following statement:
I think it would be very exciting to have a conversation with the producers. … 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.
One would have to think that somewhere in the back of his mind, the actor absolutely wants the role of Daniel Craig’s successor to James Bond. Considering that Henry Cavill was one of eight supposed finalists for 007, despite being told by director Martin Campbell that he was “a little chubby” for the role, it could be said that he’s hungry to land it the second time around. Looking at the history of Bond casting since Sean Connery’s departure, that seems to be an historic precedent that’s followed rather closely most of the time.
Mr. Craig is the exception to that rule, as he pretty much landed 007 on his first try. Ushering in a new era of groundbreaking continuity, Daniel Craig’s James Bond films took some pretty huge swings and left a pretty large shadow in their wake. Whomever takes over the role next might hew closer to the more traditional Bond formula, and Henry Cavill would be a fantastic candidate for such an era. There’s plenty of time to discuss those ins and outs though, as producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson aren’t looking to gear up for that hunt until sometime next year.
What does that mean for Henry Cavill fans? Well, it means they can enjoy Season 2 of The Witcher all the more when it debuts on Netflix, starting December 17. Strangely enough, that’s only a couple of days before James Bond fans can own No Time To Die on physical media, which is set to be released on December 21. Surely those two events won’t combine and make people even more keen on a Cavill-led era of Bond, right?
