How to Cast the Next James Bond: 007 Casting Director Breaks Down What It Takes to Be Bond
The future of James Bond is heading into uncharted territory. With Amazon now holding the keys to the iconic spy franchise and visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve set to direct James Bond 26, the hunt for the next 007 is officially on.
But while Villeneuve might have the final say, one voice that’s been behind the Bond legacy for more than four decades, legendary casting director Debbie McWilliams, has a lot to say about what it really takes to be the world’s most famous secret agent.
Beginning her Bond journey in 1981, McWilliams played a crucial role in shaping the cinematic identity of 007, helping select Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig for the part. Working alongside producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, she helped maintain the character’s evolving mystique across generations.
Now retired, McWilliams recently shared insight with Radio Times into how the Bond casting process really worked, and what qualities the next actor should have to fill those impeccably tailored shoes.
“There’s a lot of back and forth and discussion,” she explained. “I can't impose my will too strongly — although I try to,” she admitted with a laugh. “But ultimately, it was Barbara and Michael who had the final say.”
That collaboration, McWilliams said, was key to maintaining Bond’s identity while allowing the franchise to adapt with each new generation. There was, as she put it, “no set process.”
“It always depended very much on the vision of the director and producers,” she revealed. For instance, when Casino Royale rebooted the series in 2006, it was all about reinventing Bond for a modern audience.
“You know, let's face it,” McWilliams said. “As good as Pierce was, he's not a menace, whereas Daniel is. You feel a very strong presence in the room with him, and I think that that is incredibly important.”
That “menace,” that controlled intensity, became a defining trait for Craig’s Bond, one that gave the franchise new energy and grit. But according to McWilliams, finding that quality isn’t about following a formula.
"It's the best person for the job and one year it might be one person, one year somebody else, you can't really predict. There isn't an algebraic thing where we say, 'Right, we have this and we have that, and it equals that'. It just doesn't work like that."
With Amazon now overseeing the future of Bond and Villeneuve’s meticulous eye on the project, there’s a lot of speculation about who might take on the role next. Names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba, Paul Mescal, and Rege-Jean Page have all been thrown around, and even former 007 Pierce Brosnan has been suggested for a comeback.
McWilliams finds those rumors amusing. “They make me die laughing,” she said. But when it comes to what makes the right Bond, she does have a few rules of her own.
“[Bond] has to look like a regular guy,” McWilliams said. “You can't be Dwayne Johnson. He has to have a great physique — it demands a high level of fitness — but he shouldn't stand out in any situation.”
That balance between charisma and subtlety, strength and restraint, is essential. But muscles and charm aren’t enough.
“He also has to be a brilliant actor,” she emphasized. And maturity, McWilliams says, plays a big part. “We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don't think they had the gravitas. They didn't have the experience, they didn't have the mental capacity to take it on, because it's not just the part they're taking on, it's a massive responsibility.”
At the same time, McWilliams enjoyed the freedom that came with casting lesser-known actors. She called it “a gift” not having to pick a famous face.
Still, she doesn’t believe in a perfect “Bond template.” “There isn't an absolute ideal mould,” she said. “There never would be and never should be, because otherwise, it just becomes boring.”
That’s probably the most important advice Amazon could take as they shape the next era of James Bond. Making 007 boring would be the ultimate failure. Luckily, with Denis Villeneuve behind the camera, that seems like the least of their worries.
The next Bond actor may not be revealed anytime soon, but whoever takes the mantle will be stepping into one of cinema’s most demanding and defining roles. As McWilliams made clear, being Bond isn’t about fitting a mold. It’s about redefining it.