'I Don't Want to See Any of Them': James Bond Ex-Casting Director Who Picked Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig Shoots Down Current 007 Frontrunners

James Bond's erstwhile casting manager has discounted the existent harvest of actors successful the moving to regenerate Daniel Craig arsenic 007, suggesting they're already excessively good known.

Frankenstein's Jacob Elordi, Babygirl's Harris Dickinson and Fantastic Beasts' Callum Turner are presently seen arsenic the astir apt candidates to go the adjacent James Bond, with auditions present yet underway.

In erstwhile years, these auditions would beryllium led by Debbie McWilliams, who formed Craig and his 2 predecessors, Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton. But with McWilliams present retired and Amazon successful complaint of the franchise, the determination present rests elsewhere. However, speaking to The Independent, McWilliams inactive had thoughts connected who should and shouldn't beryllium the adjacent James Bond — and believes it needs to beryllium an histrion has comes "completely retired of the blue."

"It is perfectly indispensable that helium retains a full enigma," McWilliams said. "I don't privation to spot immoderate of [the main frontrunners] arsenic Bond due to the fact that we present cognize truthful overmuch astir them," she added, reflecting that each person established acting careers.

"We privation to cognize arsenic small astir them personally arsenic possible, due to the fact that that's what spies are," McWilliams continued. "We don't request to cognize wherever helium goes buying oregon who his parents are, oregon wherever helium lives. We ne'er privation to spot him astatine home. And a captious constituent of the full happening is his occupation description. He's licensed to kill, and we person to judge that helium tin bash that. If you don't, past you’ve mislaid the audience."

When McWilliams formed Dalton and Brosnan, neither were "particularly good known," she said. Craig, meanwhile, was conscionable starting to find mainstream fame aft starring successful British gangster movie Layer Cake. "Daniel had had a vocation successful autarkic films and a reasonably colourful romanticist beingness beforehand, but helium wasn't a household name, and that helps enormously," McWilliams reflected.

While Elordi, Dickinson and Turner are fashionable instrumentality picks, McWilliams pointed backmost to the archetypal backlash against Craig being formed arsenic a blond James Bond — earlier his debut successful Casino Royale silenced astir of his haters.

"He was specified an unpopular choice," McWilliams said. "Nobody supported it. Not the studio. Not the director... I person a mentation that this wholly spurred him on. He thought, 'I'm going to amusement you bastards,' and helium did. And everybody went, 'Oh my God, isn't helium wonderful?' So don't inquire the radical who they want, due to the fact that they won't know."

Recent months person seen longterm favourite Idris Elba regularisation himself retired of the running, saying it was ne'er "realistic" that he'd triumph the part. You tin besides cheque retired what Spider-Man prima Tom Holland had to accidental astir rumors astir his imaginable casting past summer. James Bond 26 volition beryllium the archetypal 007 movie from Amazon MGM Studios and caller producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal, who took implicit from Bond franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. Dune manager Denis Villeneuve has signed connected to helm the movie.

Image credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social