To be honest, I could see Amazon MGM zigging when we all expected them to zag and ultimately choosing an older actor as the next James Bond. Henry Cavill would certainly check plenty of the commercial boxes, with the looks, screen presence and Superman pedigree that make him an almost suspiciously obvious choice.

And yes, I would be disappointed, because casting the most recognizable, marketable name available could suggest that Amazon MGM is more interested in selling Bond rather than carefully choosing the actor best suited to define the next era. It would also make all the previous reporting about a next “young” Bond actor look rather silly, although reversing course would certainly give the studio a chance to control the narrative with a splashy announcement.

With a two-year gap between movies, Amazon MGM could theoretically stretch his tenure across seven films and have Cavill playing 007 until he reaches 58, matching Daniel Craig’s age when he was killed off (sorry, I still can’t believe that happened). Maybe that’s exactly what Amazon MGM wants, but if Cavill is the choice, I hope we at least get more frequent releases. If they’re going to go with the safe choice, the least they can do is keep us from waiting half a decade to see him again.