Debbie McWilliams, the permanent casting director for the James Bond franchise from 1981 to 2021 (she cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig), spoke about popular candidates for the role of Agent 007. In her opinion, insider favorites such as Jacob Elordi ("Euphoria"), Callum Turner ("Masters of the Air"), and Harris Dickinson ("Triangle of Sadness") are not suitable for the role due to their excessive popularity.
In an interview with The Independent, McWilliams emphasized that James Bond must maintain an aura of mystery and reminded that Dalton, Brosnan, and Craig were not A-list stars at the time of their casting:
"It's vital that Bond maintains an aura of complete mystery. I don't want to see any of them in the role because we already know too much about them. The audience should know as little as possible about the spy's personal life... And most importantly, we must unconditionally believe that this person has a license to kill. If the audience doesn't believe that, you've lost them."
Recall that Amazon began actively searching for a new actor to play Bond in May 2026. Nina Gold ("Game of Thrones", "Star Wars") is now responsible for casting the next film. According to her, the new Bond actor must be young enough to star in several films, possess acting talent, and "exude sexual energy."
Media also reported that one of the first to audition was theater actor Tom Francis, who has not yet become widely known to the general public.
Denis Villeneuve ("Dune") will direct the reboot, Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce, and Steven Knight ("Peaky Blinders") will write the screenplay. The premiere date and other details are still unknown.