Sorry to everyone who’s been backing Jacob Elordi for the next James Bond, because one of the people who knows the franchise best isn’t convinced. Via A24 Debbie McWilliams, who spent more than four decades casting Bond films and was responsible for choosing Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig as 007, has weighed in on all the rumours about who should replace Craig, and she’s pretty clear about who she doesn’t want. Speaking to The Independent, McWilliams dismissed some of the biggest names currently linked to the role, including Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner and Harris Dickinson. “I don’t want to see any of them as James Bond,” she said. Her reasoning is that modern celebrities are simply too well known to convincingly play a spy. “It is absolutely essential that [Bond] retains a total enigma. I don’t want to see any of them as Bond because we now know so much about them. We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are. “We don’t need to know where he goes shopping or who his parents are, or where he lives. We never want to see him at home. And a vital element of the whole thing is his job description. He’s licensed to kill, and we have to believe that he can do that. If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.” Via A24 Instead, McWilliams thinks the franchise works best when Bond is played by someone who isn’t already a massive celebrity. “Timothy and Pierce weren’t particularly well known. Daniel had had a career in independent films and a fairly colorful romantic life beforehand, but he wasn’t a household name, and that helps enormously. I want to see somebody who is completely out of the blue.” McWilliams also said she believes Bond should continue to be played by a man because that’s how the character was originally written by Ian Fleming. “Why would you want to change that? They haven’t changed Harry Potter to Alice Potter or to a different ethnicity. That’s how it was written and that’s how it should remain, I believe.” Via Apple TV Her comments come after Amazon confirmed in May that the search for the next Bond is officially underway. At the time, the studio said: “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right.” It’s now been almost five years since Daniel Craig bowed out as Bond in No Time To Die, and although the next actor still hasn’t been announced, work on the 26th Bond film is now gathering pace. With Denis Villeneuve attached to direct and casting now underway, the speculation over who’ll wear the tux next is only getting louder. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Apple TV, A24, Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
