‘James Bond’ Recasting Talks Begin in 2022, and a Lot of Fans Want Henry Cavill

It looks like Henry Cavill has reemerged as a popular candidate for the next James Bond. Imminently, Daniel Craig’s fifth and final movie in the role, No Time to Die, will be released in theaters. There are plans to continue the franchise with a new actor at some point in the future, but the process to find the next 007 has not officially started yet.

Speaking about the future of the 007 franchise on BBC Radio 4, James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli addressed the future of the series. As it stands, No Time to Die is meant to serve as a swan song for Daniel Craig, and that’s the sole focus of everyone on the James Bond team at this time. In fact, Broccoli says there have been no official discussions behind the scenes regarding possible casting choices, and they’re not likely to begin until sometime in 2022.

RELATED: Daniel Craig Says He’ll Be ‘Incredibly Bitter’ When the Next James Bond Is Announced

“We’re not thinking about it at all,” the producer explained. “We want Daniel to have his time of celebration. Next year we’ll start thinking about the future.”

Of originally casting Daniel Craig in the first place, Broccoli added: “We could see he was reluctant to do it, because he knew it would change his life, which it obviously has. It’s changed his life, but it hasn’t changed him. What he’s enabled us to do with the franchise is really explore the emotional life of Bond and go into the person and complexity and conflicts that happen within the Bond character.”

While producers may not be discussing the next James Bond, that hasn’t stopped fans from doing their own fantasy casting. After this news started making the rounds, it wasn’t long before the name Henry Cavill was trending online. Thousands of fans of the actor, who’s particularly popular for his starring roles in Man of Steel and The Witcher, have been making a case of Cavill to take on the part with Daniel Craig officially out.

I’m just saying, Henry Cavill is now just as old as Daniel Craig was when he was cast in Casino Royale,” one fan says, pointing out an interesting observation. Also included is fan art of Cavill as 007 to further emphasize the point.

Another 007 fan writes, “It really depends on how much they want to shake up the formula this time out but if they’re aiming for a ‘standard Bond’, Henry Cavill came *very* close to beating Daniel Craig last time and lost out due to only being 22 at the time. He’s 38 now…”

It helps for these fans to know that Cavill would definitely play James Bond if he got the offer. Last year, the actor said he would “absolutely jump at the opportunity” if it ever comes his way. That leaves little doubt that Cavill is up for taking on the role, but it’s obviously not up to him.

“If Barbara [Broccoli] and [Michael G. Wilson] were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity,” Cavill told GQ. “At this stage, it’s all up in the air. We’ll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting.”

In any case, we’re not going to find out who the next James Bond will be until at least 2022. No Time to Die will be released in theaters on Oct. 8. You can see what other fans are saying about Henry Cavill and James Bond below and over on Twitter.

Topics: James Bond