Henry Cavill has played some fan-favorite characters, including Superman, Sherlock Holmes, and Geralt of Rivia. The Man of Steel actor began his career with small roles in movies and television back in 2001. His first major role was Charles Brandon in the Showtime series, Tudors. Cavill gained global recognition with his Superman role in Zack Snyder’s DCEU films.
Cavill became a sought-after action star, even starring alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout as August Walker. While the Night Hunter actor exited from his Superman and The Witcher roles recently, he is set to appear next in a couple of spy thrillers.
4 Major Franchise Roles That Henry Cavill Lost In His Career
Despite his impressive portfolio, Henry Cavill missed out on several major roles which could have catapulted his career. Cavill’s small roles in films at the time impressed audiences and he was a top fan choice for Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Apart from the fan pick, Cavill was also considered for four major franchises worth over $16 billion:
1. Edward Cullen – The Twilight Saga ($3.346 billion)
Twilight was another case of Henry Cavill making an impression with his small roles. Twilight author Stephenie Meyer saw Cavill in The Count of Monte Cristo and wanted him to play the lead in her novel’s movie adaptation. In her personal blog, she called him the “perfect Edward” and was even disappointed that the Immortals actor had aged out of the role.
However, Cavill came to know about this potential role way after Twilight was released. Cavill told the Happy Sad Confused podcast:
“I didn’t know about them wanting to cast me […] and so I only found out afterwards. I was like, ‘Oh okay, that would have been cool.’”
Robert Pattinson replaced the Sand Castle actor in the $3.3 billion franchise role.
2. Clark Kent / Superman – Superman Film Series ($2.5 billion)
Although Henry Cavill eventually landed the Superman role, he was set to play the character back in 2005 in McG’s planned Superman film, Superman: Flyby. However, the McG project stalled and Bryan Singer took over as the director. Singer recast Brandon Routh in the role and made the sixth installment in the film series, Superman: Returns.
Later, the website, ThinkMcflyThink.com, released an image from Cavill’s audition for the film, with the Batman v. Superman actor donning a different Superman costume.
3. Bruce Wayne / Batman – The Dark Knight Trilogy ($2.463 billion)
Henry Cavill was not a frontrunner for the role as he never auditioned, but his name was discussed by producers at some point in the pre-production stage. Interestingly, Christopher Nolan came up with the story of Man of Steel on the set of The Dark Knight, along with writer David S. Goyer. Cavill appeared on the Fox 5 program, Good Day New York, where he talked about his potential Batman role:
“Batman, I may have been spoken about in a room at some stage, but never auditioned or screen-tested.”
The iconic role would eventually go to Christian Bale, who is considered one of the best Batman actors ever.
4. James Bond – James Bond film series ($7.879 billion)
Henry Cavill’s desire to play the 007 character is well-known and he is also a top contender for the role after Daniel Craig left the franchise. However, the Stardust actor was second in line to land the role in Casino Royale in 2005. Director Martin Campbell preferred the young Henry Cavill, however, the producers wanted to go with a far more mature Daniel Craig for the role.
Henry Cavill told Good Day New York, “Bond came very close as well.” Fans still hope to see the Whatever Works actor cast as James Bond in future films, however, rumors also favor Aaron-Taylor Johnson for the role.
