The search for the next James Bond continues to spark debate among the 007 fans. Over the past years, several actors have appeared in the casting rumors. New comments from the franchise’s casting director have now grabbed a lot of attention. Her comments also stirred up new debate on casting of James Bond.
The latest comments on who should play James Bond
Debbie McWilliams, a longtime casting director for James Bond, shared her insights on the iconic role in an onstage interview at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. She said she does not believe a woman or a person of color should play the role because Ian Fleming originally created James Bond as a white British man. She added that the character should stay true to the author’s original vision. Surprisingly, she stated that she has never read any of Fleming’s Bond novels.
Her remarks also seemed to cut out Idris Elba, who has been a popular choice of fans for years. In the meantime, Amazon MGM Studios has officially begun casting for Daniel Craig’s successor since it was handed creative control for the franchise. Former casting director McWilliams no longer works on the series, and Nina Gold now leads casting for the next Bond film. Denis Villeneuve will direct the upcoming movie, while Steven Knight is writing the screenplay.
Callum Turner remains one of the biggest names linked to the role. George Clooney recently told The Hollywood Reporter that Turner would make a great Bond because he is charming, handsome and British. But Turner says that he is not involved in the whole casting process and finds the questions funny. He also did not answer whether he would consider producers’ offers for the role.
Other names in the running include Martin Compston, James Norton, Dev Patel, Theo James and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. There still is a debate among fans about who’s the best to lead the next generation of the iconic spy series. Amazon MGM has yet to make any casting announcement.
Tell Us – Who would you say is the person who can become the next James Bond and take the iconic franchise to a new level?
