Summary
- Henry Cavill reveals that his character in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is one of the real-life figures to have inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.
- Cavill has long been a fan-favorite choice to play 007.
- After Argylle's failure, the underperformance of Cavill's new movie would essentially kill his chances of being cast as Bond.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is based on the true story of Britain's first special forces team during World War II. The film, which also stars Alan Ritchson and Henry Golding, sees Cavill starring as real-life figure Gus March-Phillipps, the leader of this ragtag band of soldiers.
During a recent appearance on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare's release date, Cavill reveals that Gus actually has a surprising connection to Ian Fleming and his character of Bond. Cavill, incidentally, has long been a popular pick for the role of 007.
According to Cavill, the real-life Gus served as a key inspiration for Fleming, and the man was also working on his very own spy novel series. Check out Cavill's full comment about the connection below:
“Ian Fleming was part of this Special Operations Executive. He wrote James Bond, and apparently based James Bond upon Gus March-Phillipps, the guy who I play. I reckon it was probably a bit more than that, it was probably other characters as well.
But it’s my understanding, controversially, that my character, Gus March-Phillipps, in real life, wrote a novel with a spy character based upon his various adventures. But he died during World War II and so he never got to continue writing his books. Had he survived, maybe he would have beaten Ian Fleming to the punch. Maybe.”
Henry Cavill's Connection To James Bond Explained
Will The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare Hurt His Chances?
With Daniel Craig having bid farewell to the character with the explosive ending of No Time To Die in 2021, the search has been on for an actor to take his place. Cavill has long been a fan-favorite for the role of 007, and he even auditioned for 2006's Casino Royale, ultimately losing out because he was too young. While he remains a popular pick for the role of Bond, there's reason to believe that his casting is now probably quite unlikely.
One key reason is that actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been rumored to be the next Bond, meaning the part could now be off the table. If this isn't true, however, Cavill is now 40 years old, and it's been reported that the franchise's producers are preferably looking for actors in their early 30s. Age, however, isn't the only factor working against Cavill.
No official statement has yet been made regarding the casting of the next James Bond.
7 Reasons Henry Cavill Can't Play James Bond After His Latest Spy Movie
Henry Cavill may have been a frontrunner to take over the role of James Bond, but after his appearance in Argylle, that seems less likely than ever.
Cavill recently starred in Matthew Vaughn's Argylle, a spy movie in which he plays a Bond-esque character. This movie was a notable flop both critically and commercially. It remains to be seen how The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare will do in this regard, but Ritchie's previous two movies underwhelmed, which isn't a promising sign. If Cavill is attached to another vaguely Bond-connected movie that doesn't connect with audiences, it seems like it will put the final nail in the coffin regarding his 007 chances.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
- Release Date
- April 19, 2024
- Runtime
- 120 Minutes
- Director
- Guy Ritchie
Cast
Eiza González
WHERE TO WATCH
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a World War II film following a top-secret combat unit who were formed by Winston Churchill to hunt down Nazis. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie and based on the book The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops by Damien Lewis.
- Writers
- Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, Guy Ritchie
- Studio(s)
- Black Bear, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Toff Guy Films
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
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