Henry Cavill seems to be the most preferred man to take over the mantle of James Bond as Daniel Craig officially parts after No Time To Die. Unfortunately for Superman, a survey powered by artificial intelligence has predicted an unlikely name as the would-be new Super Spy — The Boys star Karl Urban.
Actor Henry Cavill is everything the character of James Bond needs — amazing acting skills, appetite for action sequences, a great physique, and backed by mass appeal. But most of all, he is British, a fact that fits the tradition of an English actor portraying the iconic spy.
And yes, he slays in a suit!
Watch: No Time To Die | Trailer 2
Not many know but this isn’t the first time that the Superman star has been in the fray for playing 007. Back in 2005, Daniel Craig won the license to kill after a very close audition call involving Henry Cavill. In 2020 when Craig’s tenure is coming to an end, it’s valid for fans to imagine Cavill as the next Bond. Why not?
AI Casting For Bond Movies
The first-ever AI casting decrees that Henry Cavill should be the next James Bond. In a study conducted by Largo.ai that aims to assess the ‘Bond Quotient’ i.e. which actor would earn the most positive response as Bond; attributes of several actors were matched to Bond’s. Assessing the prominent British actors out there, the study found Cavill most apt with a score of 92.3%, followed by The Hobbit actor Richard Armitage at 92% and actor Idris Elba at 90.9%.
When the study was expanded to international actors, interestingly The Boys and Kiwi actor Karl Urban displaced Cavill with a 96.7% compatibility rating. Ironically, right behind him is Marvel’s Captain America star Chris Evans with 93.9%, followed by Will Smith at 92.2%.
Watch: Henry Cavill’s James Bond Audition Tape
When artificial intelligence considered female actors for the same role, the results were outstanding. Disney’s The Mandalorian star Gina Carano, with a 97.3% match, outshined both Henry Cavill and Karl Urban for the James Bond’s role. She was followed by Longmire star Katee Sackhoff at 94.4% and actor Angelina Jolie 94.2%.
While the odds are clearly in favor of a female Bond, the casting of actor Lashana Lynch as next 00 agent Nomi, has got its own backlash in the past. Furthermore, franchise producer Barbara Broccoli’s explanation of why Bond won’t be a woman had caused some stir among fans, calming nerves for some but disappointing several others.
The successor of James Bond
In fact, fans are now speculating about the successor of James Bond more than the climax of No Time To Die. While the next Bond’s ethnicity and gender are both unclear as of now, what fans know is that Lynch is taking over a huge part, if not the entire role of 007. But there’s another twist, with film’s producer Broccoli’s statement having contradicted this plot in the past. Broccoli told Variety this January,
He (Bond) can be of any colour, but he is male. I believe we should be creating new characters for women – strong female characters. I’m not particularly interested in taking a male character and having a woman play it. I think women are far more interesting than that.
Watch: The New Bond Is A Black Woman
While the explanation is quite viable, and is in favor of creating stronger female roles, the statement did get backlash. Lynch, a woman of color, is in a prominent spy role in the upcoming flick, having taken over the responsibility of Craig’s Bond, who is seen in the trailer as retired. The situation has divided fans. While some believe that Lynch will be integral to future James Bond franchise movies, others feel her 00 status is nothing more than gimmicky fan service for those rooting for a female Bond. Lynch tells British Vogue about the conversation going around her character she said,
Nomi represents one thing in this movie, but if she was going to represent more down the line, I would want to talk about the black female experience to the high heavens, and I don’t know if people are ready for that.
She further spoke about Broccoli’s perception of Bond in the upcoming iteration. She said, “Bond is an older white guy who has a certain opinion of the world and who maybe hasn’t had an experience of black women in this capacity. Then this black woman comes along and teaches him things. It blew my mind that Barbara was ready to say that so frankly, and was willing to insert that kind of relationship into a Bond film.”
Nonetheless, Lynch’s presence in the film is certainly one of the top things to look forward to when No Time To Die releases in November. And while the boys can contest for the iconic role once Craig is done. Fans are definitely going to feel a paradigm shift in the upcoming Bond movie with the addition of Lynch, Ana de Armas and Léa Seydoux.
