James Bond 26: the ex-casting director wants neither Jacob Elordi nor Callum Turner

She spent 40 years choosing the faces of 007: Debbie McWilliams has a strong opinion on the succession of Daniel Craig. For her, the current favorites are far too well known to the public.

While the search for the next James Bond is officially launched by Amazon MGM Studios, casting director Debbie McWilliams, who has cast for the saga for forty years, believes that the current main favorites are not the right candidates.

Debbie McWilliams notably chose Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and finally Daniel Craig. And she doesn’t want to see Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner or Harris Dickinson don the costume of Agent 007. She explains this in an interview with The Independent:

“I don’t want to see any of them as James Bond! We already know too much about them. However, iIt is absolutely essential that Bond retains a total element of mystery. Today, we know far too much about them. A spy must remain an enigma. We don’t need to know where he shops, who his parents are or where he lives..”

It is true that the three actors mentioned have been among the bookmakers’ favorites for months. Jacob Elordi won thanks to Euphoria, Saltburn Or PriscillaCallum Turner played a series of roles in Fantastic Beasts, Masters of the Air And For eternitywhile Harris Dickinson exploded with Without filter, Babygirl And The Iron Claw. A notoriety which, for Debbie McWilliams, takes them away from the ideal profile to play Agent 007.

According to her, the best choice would be an actor with much less exposure, such as Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan before their nomination. She also recalls that Daniel Craig had already shot several independent films and was sometimes in the celebrity press for his love life, “but he wasn’t a household name, and that helps a lot“For Debbie McWilliams, the next James Bond must be”someone who comes completely out of nowhere“. A way of preserving this part of mystery which, in his eyes, is inseparable from the character.

Because there is, for her, “a crucial element“which should not be neglected”in the definition of his mission: Bond has the license to kill, and we must believe that he is capable of it. If we don’t succeed, we lose the audience!“

And why not surprise by casting a woman to become James Bond?

McWilliams also objects: “Bond must remain a man, because that’s how Ian Fleming wrote him. Why change this? We didn’t turn Harry Potter into Alice Potter as far as I know! Nor changed his ethnic origin! This is how the character was written and this is how he should stay, in my opinion.“

The next James Bond 26 will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, with a screenplay by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders).

The casting is now in the hands of Nina Gold, renowned for having worked on Game of Thrones And Star Wars. No announcement regarding the future 007 has been made yet.