The next actor to play the role of the suave spy James Bond is still to be decided. And the competition is tight.

Since Daniel Craig, who had been playing the role of James Bond, a departure from the Bond franchise, the rumor mill has been going amok about who might be the next actor to take on the much-coveted mantle of portraying one of the most iconic roles in history.

The names of Tom Hardy and Rege Jean-Page had been doing the rounds for quite some time. But now a new name has emerged, The Man of Steel star, Henry Cavill.

Bond franchise to be “reinvented”
After three iterations of James Bond, the franchisee will be reinvented
Henry Cavill leads the race to be signed as the new James Bond. Following Daniel Craig’s last Bond movie, No Time to Die, released in 2021, it has been a subject of speculation about who would succeed him.

But there hasn’t been any notable progress on that front, all we have are rumors and backroom talks to rely on.

Given the magnitude of the role, the ones at the helm of the project are taking their sweet time deciding on a name.

Barbara Broccoli, the producer of the Bond movies, has stated they intend to “reinvent” the spy franchise with the next installment.

One possible way might be to cast a person of color in the role of the English spy. Another way might be to cast a woman.

Henry Cavill leads the race to play James Bond
Henry Cavill might be the next James Bond
Producer Barbara Broccoli has not given any concrete updates. She has confirmed there will be no woman Bond. But an actor of color to play the role of Bond is still a possibility.

Bridgerton actor Rege Jean-Page was leading the race to be the next Bond at one time. The odds are given by the betting website Ladbrokes.

Tom Hardy was also going strong at one time. But now they both have been leapfrogged. The one who looks most likely to get the role is Henry Cavill, followed by Rege Jean-Page and Tom Hardy, respectively.

Cavill recently starred in an advertisement for No 1 Botanicals herbal drinks. In the ad, he dons a well-tailored suit, while walking past a silver Aston Martin DB5, both somewhat reminiscent of James Bond.

Why Henry Cavill can’t be the next Bond?
Henry Cavill has some prior commitments to deal with
But chances are that we might be reading too much into the situation. The video could be simply a recognition of the casting rumors by Cavill. But bettors think otherwise.

They have increased their bets on the actor, which saw him reach pole position.

The path isn’t that clear for Cavill to act in the Bond franchise. He has already a prior commitment with another spy movie, Argylle.

It is highly unlikely he’ll be able to manage the two roles simultaneously. So casting him as Bond is unfeasible in the near future.

And if Argylle grows into a full-fledged spy franchise (something it can potentially do), then Cavill will be a no-show for Bond.

A single actor can’t play two spy roles at once.  That is why the chances of him being Bond look bleak at the moment. Only time will tell.