Debbie McWilliams, the James Bond franchise’s longtime casting director, does not want to see rumored contenders Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner or Harris Dickinson pick up the 007 moniker. McWilliams worked on Bond movies for 40 years, starting with 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” and running through 2021’s “No Time to Die,” and is responsible for casting Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. With McWilliams having retired before Amazon’s acquisition of the Bond franchise, the search for the next 007 actor falls to casting director Nina Gold and director Denis Villeneuve.
“I don’t want to see any of them as James Bond,” McWilliams recently told The Independent about Elordi, Turner and Dickinson, whose names continue to drive the rumor mill now that Amazon’s search for the next 007 is underway.
“It is absolutely essential that [Bond] retains a total enigma,” she explained. “I don’t want to see any of them as Bond because we now know so much about them. We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are. We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives. We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.”
McWilliams continued, “Timothy and Pierce weren’t particularly well known. Daniel had had a career in independent films and a fairly colorful romantic life beforehand, but he wasn’t a household name, and that helps enormously. I want to see somebody who is completely out of the blue.”
Bond should also remain a man because “it’s how Ian Fleming wrote it,” McWilliams added. “Why would you want to change that? They haven’t changed Harry Potter to Alice Potter or to a different ethnicity. That’s how it was written and that’s how it should remain, I believe.”
Amazon confirmed in May that the search for the new Bond actor was officially underway. The studio added at the time: “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.”
Denis Villeneuve is directing the new 007 movie, which will serve as the 26th installment in the Bond franchise. New casting director Gold has worked on major franchises such as “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars.” She cast Daisy Ridley as Rey in “The Force Awakens.” Amy Pascal of the “Spider-Man” films and David Heyman of the “Harry Potter” series are producing the new Bond movie. “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight is penning the screenplay.
