Henry Cavill may have been a frontrunner to take over the role of James Bond, but after his appearance in Argylle, that seems less likely than ever.

Henry Cavill has been in contention for the role of James Bond since the early 2000s, but his latest movie, Argylle, almost guarantees he won’t be cast as Bond. Cavill rose to prominence in Hollywood when he was cast as the DCEU’s Superman in Man of Steel in 2013, but he was competing for major roles for years prior. Cavill has a broad physique and stands at an impressive 6′ 1″, which made him an excellent choice for a leading man, but also meant he could have overshadowed costars and potentially lost him roles before getting his big break.

After being cast as Superman, doors opened for Cavill to play a large variety of roles and appear in several genres. In 2015, Cavill was cast as a spy in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and finally had a chance to deliver a role that resembled that of the international superspy, James Bond. However, since that time, Cavill has been cast and starred in several other projects across genres and recently returned to the spy genre with Argylle. While the next Bond is yet to be announced, Cavill’s role in Argylle almost certainly rules him out of the running.

7 Henry Cavill Plays The Real Argylle, Not Just The Fake

He Is Agent Argylle

Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman spin-off is a quirky spy mystery that kept much of its plot under wraps before release. The movie is full of twists that mostly appear in the second half, such as Cavill’s fictional character being revealed to be an imaginary version of Agent Rachel R. Kylle, and then the final scenes of the film revealing Cavill’s character to be a real person. Considering Cavill’s prominent role in Argylle, it’s highly likely he will be involved in future entries of the franchise, which means Cavill is already playing a spy, which is a conflict for playing Bond.

6 Argylle Bombed At The Box Office

With A Huge Drop-Off In Week 2

Argylle may have been negatively impacted by the mysterious, and downright confusing advertising which led to the film performing abysmally at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). Likely, the movie being set to release on Apple’s streaming platform, Apple TV+, in April is not helping the box office either, but regardless, such a poor performance does not bode well for Cavill’s star power and drawing in audiences. Actors cast as the iconic superspy are rarely as big before the role as they became within it, but Cavill has already become a big name in Hollywood.

He has already appeared in major productions that cost hundreds of millions to make, but stepping into an established role with so much history as Bond may require a certain level of freshness from an actor. Now an established actor in Hollywood, Cavill has received widespread praise for roles like Superman and Geralt in The Witcher series, but he has yet to have success with a spy movie becoming a major hit. Cavill is a s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed actor, but his style and performances may be more suited to other roles rather than a suave spy.

5 The Romantic Side Of James Bond

Cavill Is Not Comfortable Playing Romantic Roles

The role of James Bond requires very specific things from the actors in the role. Bond is suave, s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed, level-headed, and possesses a weakness for beautiful women and a shaken martini. Cavill proved that he can play many of these roles, but one aspect he appears to struggle with is romance. Cavill recently revealed his discomfort around 𝓈ℯ𝓍 scenes (via Variety), but the character of Bond is very sensual. Argylle features no romance for Cavill, and even in a series where the protagonist is frequently presented in romantic situations like The Witcher, Cavill manages to avoid any such scenes.

4 Cavill May Not Be Meant To Play A Spy

Argylle’s Box Office Continues A Bad Trend For Henry Cavill Spy Heroes

Cavill’s first appearance in a spy movie came in The Cold Light of Day, a movie which only managed to earn $16 million (via Box Office Mojo). The Man from U.N.C.L.E. cost around $75 million to make and only managed to earn $110 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). And now, Argylle continues this trend after bombing at the box office. His only success in a spy film so far came from the established Mission Impossible franchise where he played the antagonist. Cavill sees far less success in the spy genre than in other areas.

3 The Parody Of Spy Movies

Argylle And Kingsman Are Spy Comedies

James Bond is a dark and broody franchise, and even more so since Daniel Craig’s tenure in the role. Cavill has appeared in gritty and dark films, such as Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but for the most part, his best performances come from films that are more complex and varied. Previous iterations of Bond have leaned more into comedy and spectacle, but Cavill’s role in Argylle is much closer to a parody of spy films than anything else. Going from parodying superspy movies to starring in the most popular spy franchise of all time just doesn’t seem very likely.

2 Cavill As Bond Is No Longer Special

He Is Too Prominent Outside Of The Role

Henry Cavill may have fewer credits to his name than other popular A-listers, but in his approximately 30 credits, he has played a wide variety of characters. Many of these have also been a part of a major franchise, like Mission Impossible, TheKingsman, the DCEU, and more. Not to mention the fact that he has now appeared as a spy in at least four separate films. Casting Cavill as Bond would not be as special or unique as another actor who hasn’t been able to seize these same opportunities and gain major prominence in Hollywood.

1 Too Many Other Commitments

Henry Cavill’s Busy Schedule

Cavill is already starring in multiple franchises, with at least five upcoming projects currently announced. Despite losing out on his role as Superman after returning to the DCEU in Black Adam, and dropping out of The Witcher series, Cavill is still incredibly busy. Alongside the projects in which he has already been confirmed to appear, discussions and rumors about other future projects mean that Cavill has a tightly packed schedule with plenty of movies to work on. Adding one of the most demanding roles of any franchise on top would likely be a poor decision for the busy actor.

Daniel Craig appeared in five James Bond movies between 2006 and 2019, making one movie approximately every three years. This may not seem like much, but between shooting, reshoots, press tours, and marketing, each movie would be a huge commitment and take time away from other projects. As a result, it makes the most sense for Henry Cavill to continue exploring other projects that he is passionate about and can make his own, and let someone else take over the iconic role of James Bond to make their mark in Hollywood.

Source: screenrant.com