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Henry Cavill has played some fan-favorite characters, including Superman, Sherlock Holmes, and Geralt of Rivia. TheMan of Steelactor 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 inMission: Impossible – Falloutas August Walker. While theNight Hunteractor exited from his Superman andThe Witcherroles recently, he is set to appear next in a couple of spy thrillers.
Also Read:“They’ve got to keep those things in a super vault”: Major DC Star Was Kept in the Dark about Henry Cavill’s Superman Return, Only Knew about it 24 Hours Before Movie Premiere
4 Major Franchise Roles That Henry Cavill Lost In His Career
Despite his impressive portfolio,Henry Cavillmissed 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 inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Apart from the fan pick, Cavill was also considered for four major franchises worth over $16 billion:
Also Read:Henry Cavill’s The Witcher Co-Actress “Didn’t feel comfortable” Using Body Double for S*x Scenes: “It’s still acting isn’t it?”
1Edward Cullen – TheTwilightSaga ($3.346 billion)
Twilightwas another case of Henry Cavill making an impression with his small roles.Twilightauthor Stephenie Meyer saw Cavill inThe Count of Monte Cristoand wanted him to play the lead in her novel’s movie adaptation. In herpersonal blog, she called him the“perfect Edward”and was even disappointed that theImmortalsactor had aged out of the role.
However, Cavill came to know about this potential role way afterTwilightwas released. Cavill told theHappy 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 Pattinsonreplaced theSand Castleactor in the $3.3 billion franchise role.
2Clark Kent / Superman –SupermanFilm 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 recastBrandon Routhin 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 theBatman v. Supermanactor donning a different Superman costume.
Also Read:“I just thought about that for a minute”: James Bond Director Had One Hesitation With Casting Daniel Craig That Might Have Worked in Favor of Henry Cavill in $616M Movie
3Bruce Wayne / Batman –The Dark KnightTrilogy ($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 Nolancame up with the story ofMan of Steelon the set ofThe 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 toChristian Bale, who is considered one of the best Batman actors ever.
4James Bond –James Bondfilm 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 afterDaniel Craigleft the franchise. However, theStardustactor was second in line to land the role inCasino Royalein 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 toldGood Day New York,“Bond came very close as well.”Fans still hope to see theWhatever Worksactor cast as James Bond in future films, however, rumors also favorAaron-Taylor Johnsonfor the role.
Also Read:“I thought, Oh he’s landed badly on his shoulder”: Henry Cavill Had One of the Worst Days of His Life on ‘The Witcher’ After an Unfortunate Accident
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3017
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
