Who will be the next James Bond? Few people are in a better position than Debbie McWilliams, who has cast the actors who have played 007 for four decades. Speaking at a packed panel on Friday at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), she stopped short of handing down specific contenders — names like Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Idris Elba and Harris Dickinson were floated — but she had a lot to say about what the role would entail.
McWilliams began her career in 1972 and has worked in more than 100 feature films and television productions. She is best known for starring in the last 14 Bond films, helping to shape some of the most memorable performances of the past four decades. Daniel Craig – whose last appearance as 007 came in 2021 – was among her choices.
When asked pointedly who the next Bond might be, she was characteristically frank. “I don’t know, and I don’t have an opinion,” she said. But she warmed to the topic as he steered the conversation diverse Developed by Senior Editor Leo Barraclough.
As for whether Bond could be non-white or a woman, McWilliams was clear. “No, I don’t think so. Ian Fleming wrote a character, and that’s the character that stays.”
Whatever the form of the next bond, one quality is non-negotiable. “Part of his job description is he is licensed to kill. So you have to consider that he could pick up a gun and shoot you,” she said. “He must have some sort of threat about him.” She noted that Pierce Brosnan didn’t quite have it — “but he embodied a different side of him. He was good-looking and very nice, and all the rest of it.” In contrast, Craig “changed that somewhat, becoming more stringent.”
Her big takeaway about the search for the next Bond: “There’s no set rule. Who fits the bill, honestly, is going to be different for different directors and different producers – and it’s about to change dramatically.” That change is now in the hands of Amazon MGM Studios, which in February 2025 struck a deal with longtime franchise hosts Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to take full control of the Bond character and its intellectual property.
McWilliams gave a candid description of how Craig was chosen. “It took a long time,” she said. “I searched the world.” Initially, “no one was particularly interested” – and Craig himself was “quite reluctant” to take on the role. The turning point came when Broccoli saw him in the 2004 thriller Cake layer He asked to meet him.
She also revealed the thinking behind one of the most inspired casting decisions in the series: casting Judi Dench in the role of M. “Traditionally, the role had been played by a man,” recalls McWilliams, “and I said in one meeting: ‘You know the head of MI5 is now a woman – Stella Remington.’ “And so Barbara said: ‘Okay, where’s Judi Dench?’ McWilliams had her reservations — Dench was “at the peak of her classical career” — but the actress was in the room the next day. “She was very happy to be asked to do that.”
The audience also received a surprise confession: “I’ve never read a James Bond book in my life.” She explained that her casting decisions were always based on scripts alone.
On the subject of artificial intelligence, McWilliams was frank. When asked about artificial intelligence “actress” Tilly Norwood, who recently landed her first role, she said: “I can’t stand the thought of it at all. I think it’s the death knell for the entire film industry.” But she acknowledged that younger generations are more open to this. “We have to accept it. People say it will make a big difference – it’s the industrial revolution of filmmaking. But how it will work, I don’t know.”
And on #MeToo, she was equally blunt: “It was horrific what was happening before.” But she expressed cautious optimism that things have actually improved on set and in the casting rooms.
McWilliams also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Casting Directors at the festival, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the art and craft of casting.
