Henry Cavill says he may be “too old now” to play James Bond

Henry Cavill has suggested he may be “too old now” to play James Bond, despite the persistent rumours linking him to the role.

The Argylle actor made the admission during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show while promoting his new Guy Ritchie film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

• READ MORE: ‘Argylle’ review: Dua Lipa and Henry Cavill’s stranger than fiction spy caper

Asked if he had any Bond casting updates, Cavill replied: “I have no idea. All I have to go off of is the rumours. I have the same information you have. “Maybe I’m too old now or maybe I’m not. We’ll see what the [producers’] plans are.”

Speculation about Cavill’s casting was recently reignited due to a fake viral trailer, partially created by AI, that reimagined the former Superman actor as 007 and Margot Robbie as his Bond Girl.

The AI-generated trailer garnered over 2.5 million views on YouTube and further stoked fan interest in Cavill being named as the new Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure.

Cavill’s history with the 007 franchise dates back to Casino Royale, where he auditioned for the role but lost out to Craig.

Back in February, during a joint interview, Argylle director Matthew Vaughn revealed to Cavill that he almost beat Craig to the role, but was ultimately deemed “too young” by the producers.

“It got down to the last two for Bond… And I know that the director preferred your audition. But [producer] Barbara [Broccoli] preferred [Craig],” Vaughn told Cavill. “So, just so you know, and they decided you were too young.”

Cavill noted that Craig “did an amazing job” with his iteration of the iconic spy character, adding: “He and everyone else involved breathed new life into the franchise, which did it wonders.”

Speaking to Men’s Health in 2019, Cavill shared the story of his failed screen test for Casino Royale, admitting that he “probably could prepared better”.