She cast the last three James Bonds and reveals what it takes to land the role: “If you don’t, then you’ve lost the audience.”
The studio has not yet announced who will be the next 007.

Casting directors at Amazon MGM Studios are currently in the process of searching for the next James Bond. After five films, Daniel Craig has stepped down from the role, with no intention of returning to play the secret agent. Despite the rumors, it’s still unclear who will be chosen, but what qualities should a good candidate have?
Debbie McWilliams was the casting director who selected the last three 007s: Timothy Dalton (1986–1993), Pierce Brosnan (1995–2002), and Daniel Craig (2006–2021). For McWilliams, the ideal Bond actor is someone who “completely out of the blue,” but it is “absolutely essential” that Bond remain “a total enigma,” she revealed in an interview with The Independent.
- It might interest you: Idris Elba reveals why he’ll never be the new James Bond: “I wasn’t in the race in the first place”

The Importance of a License to Kill
“We want to know as little about them personally as possible, because that’s what spies are,” he explained. “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.”
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The new 007 movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve—director of the ‘Dune’ trilogy—does not yet have a confirmed filming date. The filmmaker said he would not focus on the secret agent’s story until his work on ‘Dune: Part 3’ was complete.
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