When looking at Matthew Vaughn‘s career as a filmmaker as an entire picture one thing is clear, he loves James Bond. Shades of the series can be seen throughout his movies including his debut feature Layer Cake but especially 2011’s X-Men: First Class and naturally his Kingsman film series (not to mention his upcoming spy movie Argyle). Speaking at a round table press event for The King’s Man, his upcoming prequel to the original two films, Vaughn revealed that even though he loves James Bond and considers it a huge source of inspiration, he doesn’t think the team behind James Bond will ever let him play in the sandbox. But he knows who he’d cast if he did.
“I don’t think the Bond people would touch me with a stick. I don’t think- They don’t like me. I don’t know. You know, to be blunt. love Bond. It’s obviously a huge influence on me….You wait till you see Argyle. But Henry Cavill, that man was born to play Bond. When you see how he is in this film, I was just like, ‘Wow, this guy is everything you’d imagine Bond to have been, or be.'” By “this film,” Vaughn means Argyle, which is now filming and features a huge ensemble that also includes Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson.
To his credit, Cavill agrees with Vaughn and would be interested in playing Bond if the opportunity came up. Speaking last year in an interview with British GQ Cavill said: “If Barbara (Broccoli, producer) and Mike (G. Wilson, co-producer) were interested in that, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity. At this stage, it’s all up in the air. We’ll see what happens. But yes, I would love to play Bond, it would be very, very exciting.”
“I probably could have prepared better,” Cavill said in an interview from 2019. “I remember the director, Martin Campbell, saying, ‘Looking a little chubby there, Henry,’ I didn’t know how to train or diet. And I’m glad Martin said something because I respond well to truth. It helps me get better.”
After many delays, Vuaghn’s The King’s Man will be released on December 22, this Wednesday.