Long-time James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams doesn’t want rumored candidates Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner or Harris Dickinson to take on the 007 moniker. McWilliams has worked on Bond films for 40 years, from 1981’s For Your Eyes Only to 2021’s No Time to Die, and is responsible for casting Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. With McWilliams retiring ahead of Amazon’s acquisition of the Bond series, casting director Nina Gold and director Denis Villeneuve will be in charge of finding the next 007 actor.
“I don’t want to see any of them as James Bond,” McWilliams recently told The Independent about Elordi, Turner and Dickinson, whose rumors continue to circulate even as Amazon continues to explore the next 007.
“It’s absolutely important that[Bond]retains complete mystery,” she explained. “We don’t want to see them as Bond, because we know too much about them. We want to know as little about their personal things as possible, because that’s what spies do. We don’t know where he goes shopping, who his parents are. We don’t need to know who he is or where he lives. And all that matters is his job description. He has permission to kill, and we have to believe he can do it. If you don’t, you lose.” ”
McWilliams continued, “Timothy and Pierce weren’t particularly famous. Daniel had a career in independent film before that and had a pretty colorful love life, but he wasn’t famous, so that helped a lot. I like to meet people who are completely outside the box.”
“Because Ian Fleming wrote it,” McWilliams added. “Why would you want to change that? They didn’t change Harry Potter to Alice Potter or another ethnicity. I believe that’s how it was written and that’s how it should be.”
Amazon confirmed in May that the search for a new Bond actor was officially underway. The studio added at the time: “While we do not plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we look forward to sharing further news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
Denis Villeneuve is directing the new 007 movie, which will be the 26th installment in the Bond series. Gold, the new casting director, has worked on major series such as “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars.” She cast Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Force Awakens. Amy Pascal (Spider-Man) and David Heyman (Harry Potter) will serve as producers on the new Bond film. The script was written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
