Bond casting director says 007 should remain white and male: 'Ian Fleming wrote a character, and that's the character that stays'

James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams has said 007 should remain white and male as auditions for Daniel Craig's replacement continue.

Amid speculation that the character could be reinvented as a woman or played by a black actor, McWilliams, who cast the previous 14 Bond films, said Ian Fleming 'wrote a character, and that's the character that stays'.

Speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in an onstage interview moderated by Variety, McWilliams was asked by an audience member whether the spy could be a woman or a person of colour. 'Not in my opinion. No,' she replied.  

'Ian Fleming wrote a character, and that's the character that stays. That's what I think. I mean, other people might think otherwise, but I don't think that.'

McWilliams retired from her casting career prior to Amazon MGM Studios acquiring creative control of the James Bond franchise in 2025. The job of finding the next Bond now falls to casting director Nina Gold and director Denis Villeneuve. 

McWilliams was also asked when she cast previous Bonds, such as Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, what she looked for in a leading man. 

'Well, I mean, I've said this several times before, but part of his job description is license to kill,' she explained.

'So you've got to think that he could pick a gun up and shoot you. So he's got to have a kind of threat about him, you know.'

'I'm not sure that Pierce Brosnan had that particularly, but he kind of embodied a different side of him. He was very good looking and suave, and all the rest of it.'

'And Daniel sort of changed that somewhat into the fact that you, you know … he was much tougher.'

She added, 'There's no set rule. It's whoever fits the bill, frankly, and it will be different for different directors and different producers.'

'And, you know, it's about to change dramatically, is all I can say. And I'm not sure whether I'll be paying my money to go and see it or not. But there isn't an easy answer to that question.' 

Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has also previously said he thinks the next actor to take on the role of 007 will be male and white.

The actor - who starred as the secret agent from 1994 to 2005 before handing over to Daniel Craig - said the character  is 'all man'.

Speaking in 2015, Brosnan said: 'Anything is possible for sure, but I think he'll be male and he'll be white. There's wonderful black actors out there who could be James Bond, and there's no reason why you cannot have a black James Bond.

'But a female James Bond, no, I think it has to be a male. James Bond is a guy, he's all male. His name is James, his name is James Bond.'

Idris Elba recently ruled himself out of ever playing Bond, insisting audiences 'won't go for a black male' playing the iconic role.

'I've always felt that it's not a realistic thing. James Bond was written how he was written for a reason,' he explained to GQ. 

'I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don't go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won't [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond,' Idris said.

'That's not what they like in their culture. Period. Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let's not try and make it woke. I think you've got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don't try and answer the world's taste. Just be Bond.'

Auditions for the new Bond finally opened in May, five years after the famed spy's last outing on the big screen.   

That announcement was delayed after the Broccoli family, which held an iron grip on the franchise for decades, handed over creative control to Amazon MGM Studios. 

The production company, which was formed when Amazon bought MGM in 2022, has been quiet on who might fill Craig's boots, but in May it teased there will be 'exciting 007 news' in the coming months. 

In a statement revealing it was auditioning actors for the role, Amazon MGM Studios said: 'The search for the next James Bond is underway. 

'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.'

At the end of June insiders told Deadline that director Villeneuve had begun informing talent who had made the next round of auditions.

Last month George Clooney waded into the casting frenzy. Amid the usual suspects - Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harris Dickinson, and Jacob Elordi - dominating the betting boards, Clooney has his sights set on another heavy favorite.

The Oscar-winning actor, who worked with him on 2023's historical drama The Boys in the Boat, is backing Callum Turner.

'I hope Callum ends up being the next Bond. I think he would be a great Bond,' Clooney told The Hollywood Reporter. 'He's tall and handsome and charming and British, so he's the perfect guy to do it.'