Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi may be some of the frontrunners when it comes to being the next James Bond, but a former casting director has suggested that producers should look elsewhere for Daniel Craig's successor.
The actor made his final appearance as 007 in 2021's No Time to Die, and there's plenty of flux in the spy series since then. Long-time producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson have since departed the franchise, with Amazon MGM Studios taking over.
While Denis Villeneuve and Steven Knight will direct and write the currently untitled 26th film in the series, the next actor to play Ian Fleming's MI6 agent still hasn't been confirmed despite plenty of speculation.
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While the rumour mill continues to swirl, former casting director Debbie McWilliams has offered her thoughts on the candidates. Given she cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Craig across her 40 years on the franchise, she knows what it takes to find a 007.
Despite the likes of Turner and Elordi possessing the looks and the chops to be Bond, McWilliams doesn't think they're ideal candidates, with the former casting director explaining the process in an interview with The Independent.
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"It is absolutely essential that he retains a total enigma," she said. "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, who his parents are or where he lives. We never want to see him at home. A vital element of the whole thing is his job description."
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"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," she added, before declaring that she wanted to "see somebody who is completely out of the blue".
Another name who has been mooted is Louis Partridge, and the Enola Holmes star recently broke his silence on the speculation as he said it was "wonderful" to be linked with the iconic role.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
