While fans, analysts, and bookmakers will all have their own picks, favourites, and reasonings for why an actor should be cast as the James Bond to replace Daniel Craig in the next movie in the franchise, there are few as experienced and talented at picking 007 stars as that of Debbie McWilliams.
The casting director has worked on James Bond movies for four decades, having credits in 13 out of 25 of the total 007 movies, starting with 1981's For Your Eyes Only and capping off with 2021's No Time To Die. She cast Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, and on a non-Bond note, even discovered Daniel Day-Lewis, and needless to say, she knows a thing or two about casting a James Bond (and generally talented) actor.
So with this being said, with many big names being thrown around today, including Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson, and Callum Turner, who would McWilliams pick? None of three to be frank.
Speaking with The Independent, McWilliams explained: "It is absolutely essential that he 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."
So with this mindset being the case, it seems we can rule out several other favourites, at least if McWilliams' past knowhow is being used for the future of the franchise too. Essentially, don't put your salary on Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Henry Cavill, Jack O'Connell, likely even 007 First Light's Patrick Gibson. But then again, it's Amazon who is in charge now...