Henry Cavill‘s James Bond replacement needs a sequel to happen 11 years later, with a trend across the 2020s confirming why it should happen. Cavill’s movies and TV shows have included a number of high-profile titles, from his stint as Superman in the DCEU, to his work as Geralt in Netflix’s polarizing The Witcher series. He’s also set to star in Prime Video’s upcoming Warhammer 40,000 adaptation.
But, when it comes to more grounded stories, he’s been privy to a number of action movies over the last decade. One of his most notable roles was as August Walker in 2018’s Mission: Impossible — Fallout, while a more recent spy genre film in his catalog is the unfortunately-panned Argylle. Yet his ability to slip into these roles has made him a popular action star, reflected in his dedication to taking on spy and thriller-adjacent stories.
His popularity has even made him a fan-favorite candidate for the next James Bond movie. But, while Prime Video intends to go with a younger actor for the next chapter of the franchise, Cavill is no stranger to being part of a Bond-like project. 11 years ago, the actor starred in the perfect replacement for the spy series, which, after all this time, feels like it finally deserves a sequel.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Should’ve Been Henry Cavill’s James Bond
Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.is a 2015 spy movie directed by Guy Ritchie, and co-written by both Ritchie and Lionel Wigram. The movie is based on the 1964 TV show of the same name, being set within the same time period. The movie follows Cavill’s Napoleon Solo, a CIA agent who is forced to work with KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) to stop a criminal organization from using nuclear weapons against both countries.
The movie follows the pair as they seek out the daughter of a German scientist, their only lead to preventing a catastrophe. Unlike the more serious tone of recent James Bond movies, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has some comedic elements, albeit with the dramatic action-adventure of its spy premise taking charge. The movie’s focus on espionage, storytelling twists, and the lens of a global adventure made it a perfect answer to the Bond franchise, with Cavill’s leading charisma being one of its biggest selling points.
Why Didn’t The Man From U.N.C.L.E Work?
Unfortunately, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. reviews weren’t as favorable as those of the James Bond franchise. The Cavill-led movie currently holds a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes from 294 reviews, indicating critics had mixed-to-positive things to say about the film. While Cavill and Hammer’s performances earned praise, the story was considered extremely thin for a 116-minute movie. Action set pieces were well crafted, but without a properly polished script to propel them forward, it just didn’t stick the landing.
This approach ended up costing the movie dearly. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. earned $110 million against an estimated $75-84 million budget, which doesn’t factor in any advertising costs. It was a box office bomb, estimated to have lost Warner Bros. Pictures $80 million by the end of its theatrical run. Despite having all the trappings of a good spy adventure, the movie’s presentation just didn’t work out.
Cavill & Guy Ritchie’s Recent Collabs Should Lead To The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 2
Henry Cavill in a proper suit in The Man from UNCLE.Credit: MovieStillsDB
However, this hasn’t stopped Cavill and Ritchie from collaborating with some of their most recent work. Cavill starred in Ritchie’s 2024 World War II movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and later collaborated with him again for 2026’s action thriller In the Grey. The pair have been on a streak of working together in recent years, and while the original stories they’ve crafted have garnered plenty of attention, it also opens the door for them to revitalize The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Leading Man · Roll Camera How Well Do You Know Henry Cavill’s Filmography? “Reloading his fists.”
🦸Man of SteelThe cape years
⚔The WitcherToss a coin
🕵The SpyAgent Walker
🔍SherlockA kinder Holmes
👑The TudorsDuke of Suffolk
01
Henry Cavill became the defining modern Superman after years of losing out on other big roles. Which 2013 Zack Snyder film launched him into the cape and tights for the first time?
✓ Correct! Man of Steel (2013) relaunched Superman for the modern era and kicked off Warner’s DC Extended Universe. Cavill had actually been a finalist for the 2006 Superman Returns job too (losing to Brandon Routh), earning him the “unluckiest man in Hollywood” label before Snyder’s film finally handed him the cape. He went on to play Superman in three more DCEU entries.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is Man of Steel. Superman Returns (2006) starred Brandon Routh — Cavill was infamously a finalist and lost the part. Batman v Superman (2016) and Justice League (2017/2021) are the sequels that followed Man of Steel. Zack Snyder’s 2013 reboot is where the cape first landed on Cavill’s shoulders.
02
A self-confessed superfan of the source books and video games, Cavill spent three seasons on Netflix’s fantasy hit before departing in 2022 over reported creative differences. Which character did he play?
✓ Correct! Geralt of Rivia — the grizzled, white-haired monster hunter at the centre of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and CD Projekt Red’s games. Cavill was such a devoted fan he reportedly lobbied Netflix for the role, played the games obsessively, and pushed for more book-accurate scripts. He exited after Season 3 in 2023; Liam Hemsworth takes over as Geralt going forward.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is Geralt of Rivia. Ciri is Geralt’s adopted Child of Surprise, Jaskier is his bard companion (the “Toss a Coin” fellow), and Vesemir is his old mentor. Cavill — a lifelong superfan of the books and CD Projekt Red’s games — lobbied hard for the role, played him for three seasons, then left in 2023.
03
Cavill’s only Mission: Impossible appearance saw him play the imposing CIA assassin August Walker — immortalised by the “reloading his fists” bicep flex. Which 2018 entry was it?
✓ Correct! Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018), directed by Christopher McQuarrie and widely considered the best of the franchise. Cavill’s August Walker was the CIA’s muscle assigned to shadow Ethan Hunt, and the Paris bathroom fight became one of the decade’s most-quoted action set pieces. His mustache here also triggered the infamous Justice League CGI upper-lip fiasco.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is Fallout (2018). Rogue Nation (2015), Ghost Protocol (2011), and Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) all starred Tom Cruise without Cavill. Fallout is the one with August Walker, the Paris bathroom fight, and the mustache that broke Hollywood — Cavill’s only Mission: Impossible appearance, and one of the best action films of the 2010s.
04
Cavill’s big-screen feature debut came in 2002, at age 18, in a swashbuckling adaptation of a Alexandre Dumas classic — playing the young Albert Mondego opposite Jim Caviezel’s Edmond Dantès. Which film was it?
✓ Correct! The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), directed by Kevin Reynolds. A teenage Cavill played Albert Mondego — Fernand’s son and secretly the biological son of Dantès — in what was his feature-film debut. I Capture the Castle (2003), Tristan & Isolde (2006) and Stardust (2007) all came later in his gradual climb to Hollywood leading man.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). I Capture the Castle (2003) was his second role, Tristan & Isolde (2006) his first real leading man part, and Stardust (2007) a small supporting turn. Kevin Reynolds’ Dumas adaptation was his feature debut at 18 — playing Albert Mondego opposite Jim Caviezel’s Dantès.
05
In 2015 Cavill played the smooth American spy Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer’s Russian Illya Kuryakin in a stylish Cold War caper. Which director’s signature split-screen swagger gave The Man from U.N.C.L.E. its look?
✓ Correct! Guy Ritchie directed The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — injecting his trademark rapid cuts, freeze frames, and wry banter into a Cold War spy caper based on the 1960s TV show. It underperformed at the box office but built a devoted cult. Cavill and Ritchie clearly liked working together — they reunited in 2024 for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, based on real WWII commandos.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is Guy Ritchie. Matthew Vaughn directed Kingsman, Sam Mendes did Skyfall and Spectre, and Christopher McQuarrie is the modern Mission: Impossible helmsman. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is pure Ritchie — split-screens, overlapping dialogue, dry banter — and he and Cavill reunited for 2024’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
06
Cavill has played a notably warmer, friendlier Sherlock Holmes than either Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr. In which franchise — led by Millie Bobby Brown as his teenage detective sister — does he appear?
✓ Correct! Enola Holmes — Netflix’s adaptations of Nancy Springer’s novels about Sherlock’s teenage detective sister. Cavill plays a deliberately gentler, more approachable Sherlock — a warm older-brother contrast to the high-functioning-sociopath versions. He appeared in both Enola Holmes (2020) and Enola Holmes 2 (2022), stealing scenes in both alongside Millie Bobby Brown.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is Enola Holmes. House (Hugh Laurie) is the Sherlock-inspired medical drama; Elementary (Jonny Lee Miller) is the CBS modernisation; Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the BBC hit. Cavill’s warmer, big-brother Sherlock appears in Netflix’s Enola Holmes franchise, opposite Millie Bobby Brown’s title character.
07
Cavill’s television breakthrough came across all four seasons (2007-2010) of Showtime’s sumptuous period drama The Tudors. He played Henry VIII’s notorious womanising best friend — which historical figure was it?
✓ Correct! Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk — the king’s closest friend and a legendary ladies’ man in real Tudor history, and Cavill’s four-year TV showcase. Jonathan Rhys Meyers played Henry VIII, James Frain was Thomas Cromwell, and Sam Neill was Cardinal Wolsey. The Tudors is what made Cavill bankable enough for Hollywood to hand him Superman a few years later.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Henry VIII was played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Thomas Cromwell by James Frain, and Cardinal Wolsey by Sam Neill. Cavill’s Brandon — charming, loyal, serially unfaithful — ran across all four seasons from 2007 to 2010 and became the springboard to his film career.
08
Cavill’s prominent mustache for Mission: Impossible — Fallout caused one of the most infamous VFX fiascos in blockbuster history when Justice League (2017) reshoots ran into his Paramount contract. What did Warner Bros. do?
✓ Correct! Warner Bros. paid millions for VFX artists to digitally erase Cavill’s mustache during Justice League’s 2017 reshoots — because Paramount’s Fallout contract legally barred him from shaving. The result was the infamous “Cavill upper lip,” widely mocked as one of the ugliest CGI jobs in modern cinema. The 2021 Snyder Cut sidestepped the issue entirely using original footage.
✗ Cut and reset! The answer is they digitally removed it in post. Paramount had legally forbidden shaving during Fallout’s shoot, so when Joss Whedon’s Justice League reshoots required a clean-shaven Superman, Warner Bros. footed a multi-million-dollar VFX bill. The resulting “smooth upper lip” became a meme, and the Snyder Cut (2021) later quietly corrected it.
That’s a Wrap · Print It Your Leading Man Rank
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Cavill completionist — or still re-watching Fallout?
Given how long it’s been since the first movie, a second installment would help breathe new life into the universe of the franchise. While Hammer’s controversial career direction means he probably wouldn’t return, Cavill is still a perfect candidate to lead the James Bond-style series. With both the actor and filmmaker having over a decade more of experience under their belts, a follow-up to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. could redeem the original movie, while also procuring a follow-up that’s worthy of its core creatives’ careers.
