Cavill auditioned for the lead role in Batman Begins (2005), but lost out to Christian Bale. In 2005, he became a young contender for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), and performed in a final screen test. However, the producers believed Cavill was too young for the role, which then went to Daniel Craig. He also auditioned for the role of Superman in Superman Returns (2006), and was reportedly under heavy consideration before the October 2004 casting of Brandon Routh. Due to all this, in the December 2005 edition of Empire Magazine, he was dubbed "...the most unlucky man in Hollywood".