{"id":372206,"date":"2026-07-13T06:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/?p=372206"},"modified":"2026-07-13T06:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:04:08","slug":"james-bond-casting-moves-on-veteran-says-amazons-next-007-should-be-an-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/james-bond-casting-moves-on-veteran-says-amazons-next-007-should-be-an-unknown\/","title":{"rendered":"James Bond casting moves on: veteran says Amazon\u2019s next 007 should be an unknown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hunt for the next James Bond has entered a new phase at Amazon MGM Studios, and Debbie McWilliams, the longtime Bond casting director, thinks Daniel Craig\u2019s replacement needs to be an enigma: someone whose private life isn\u2019t already splashed everywhere, and who comes across as Bond rather than a celebrity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Amazon Prime Video\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/c162012f-3d10-436b-a6b5-fde423154d8c\/981736872\/amazon-prime-video-logo\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Amazon Prime Video<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/amazon-prime-video.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/amazon-prime-video.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McWilliams spent more than <strong>40 years<\/strong> working on the series and cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Craig. So when Amazon MGM Studios takes control of the Bond franchise, Denis Villeneuve gets ready to direct the next film, and casting director Nina Gold leads the search, her opinion carries weight.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She doesn\u2019t think actors like Callum Turner, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi fit the bill, because they\u2019re already <strong>too well known<\/strong>. Bond tends to work best when audiences can project onto someone who still feels a little mysterious, the way they did with Craig, who faced early skepticism and still ended up becoming one of the defining 007s.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McWilliams also believes Bond should remain a <strong>white man<\/strong>, in line with Ian Fleming\u2019s original version, and says the actor has to make the \u201clicense to kill\u201d feel convincing. That takes charm, menace, physical threat, and that polished but dangerous mix that has always made Bond such a hard role to cast.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reports say second-round auditions are lined up for <strong>August 2026<\/strong>, and an announcement could arrive within a year. McWilliams has said Bond is \u201cabout to change dramatically,\u201d and she\u2019s dismissed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos\u2019s fan poll as a popularity contest. There\u2019s still no release date for Amazon MGM Studios\u2019 next Bond film, and the part may yet go to the one actor nobody saw coming.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"IMDb\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/41a6e8ea-9b61-11e6-98e4-00163ec9f5fa\/1359988889\/imdb-ripper-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">IMDb<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/imdb-ripper.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/imdb-ripper.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The hunt for the next James Bond has entered a new phase at Amazon MGM Studios, and Debbie McWilliams, the longtime Bond casting director, thinks Daniel Craig\u2019s replacement needs to be an enigma: someone whose private life isn\u2019t already splashed everywhere, and who comes across as Bond rather than a celebrity. McWilliams spent more than &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/james-bond-casting-moves-on-veteran-says-amazons-next-007-should-be-an-unknown\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;James Bond casting moves on: veteran says Amazon\u2019s next 007 should be an unknown&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1009,"featured_media":372205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-372206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":372207,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372206\/revisions\/372207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372206"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=372206"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=372206"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=372206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}