The woman who has cast the last 13 Bond films – bringing Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig to the role – has quit after the creative control of the movies was sold to Amazon.
Acclaimed casting director Debbie McWilliams has worked with Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson for over 40 years.
She told the film bible Screen International: ‘I wish everyone the best of luck and hope the transition can be relatively painless. But it won’t be the same.’
Ms McWilliams, who also cast films including My Beautiful Launderette, which made a star of Daniel Day-Lewis, appeared to criticise Amazon boss Jeff Bezos for taking to X, formerly Twitter, asking: ‘Who’d you pick as the next Bond?’
She said: ‘Looking at Amazon’s previous theatrical films does not fill me with any great enthusiasm.
‘If they mess with the essence of Bond they risk alienating a huge audience. Choosing the actor to fill the role is a huge task and not one I would hand over to subscribers of X.’
She clarified that she decided to retire from picking Bonds before the deal was inked, and said that she understood why Barbara Broccoli had opted to hand over creative control after reaching an impasse in relations with Amazon.
Ms McWilliams said: ‘I am sad to see the end of this era but totally understand why it has happened.
Legendary casting agent Debbie McWilliams (pictured) – who found the last three Bonds – quits after the creative control of the movies is sold to Amazon
Ms McWilliams was the James Bond casting director for over 40 years across 13 films, and was responsible for casting Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig (pictured) starred in his last Bond film in 2021 with No Time To Die
‘Prior to Amazon acquiring MGM, Barbara and Michael had a good working relationship with the studio and always held the final decisions.
‘Producing a Bond film takes at least 2 years of their lives with little time for anything else.
‘And with Michael retiring, I think Barbara did not have the appetite to shoulder the burden alone. She has so many other interests, especially with her theatre projects.’
Ms Broccoli, whose father Cubby bought the movie rights to the Ian Fleming books in 1961, last produced No Time To Die in 2021. That film saw Daniel Craig’s Bond die in the closing scenes.
Since that point, Amazon bought MGM, paying big for the rights to the MGM back catalogue, including Bond.
They were able to persuade Ms Broccoli to plunder the IP to make 007: The Road to a Million, a game show, and she agreed to a second series.
However, she reportedly regarded the Amazon bosses as ‘f***ing idiots’ and had not come up with an idea, a script or a new Bond in the intervening four years.
McWilliams has cast each of the last 13 James Bond films for Eon Productions, from 1981’s For Your Eyes Only through to 2021’s No Time To Die.
Barbara Broccoli (left) and Michael G Wilson (right) produced the James Bond films for more than 40 years, but Amazon MGM Studios will now take creative control of the franchise
Michael G Wilson (left), Daniel Craig (middle) and Barbara Broccoli (right) are all saying goodbye to the franchise
In a statement to Screen International she said: ‘I have worked closely with Barbara and Michael for over 40 years and had the most amazing career, travelling all over the world in search of wonderful actors, and to be on hand on the various locations.
‘I have now hung up my casting hat and have moved on to other film-related projects.’
Timothy Dalton, who played James Bond in 1987’s ‘The Living Daylights’ and 1989’s ‘Licence to Kill,’ is weighing in on the blockbuster deal that saw longtime producers Mr Wilson and Ms Broccoli pass complete creative control of the iconic British super spy franchise to Amazon MGM Studios.
‘I was very, very surprised and shocked,’ Mr Dalton said of the deal in an interview with Radio Times.
He said: ‘Barbara is, I think, a fabulous woman and a wonderful producer, as was her father Cubby Broccoli, who I got on with very well and liked a lot.
‘He was a very powerful and strong anchor for the project. Nothing went on that he didn’t want and it’s sad that he’s not with us anymore, that’s all I can say. He was well in charge of the show and that’s not so anymore.
‘The movies have taken different courses over the years, but there is something very good about the original and I hope Amazon latch onto that and give us the kind of film that’s brought so much excitement and fun to so many people.
Mr Dalton added: ‘Anyway, good luck to them, I say. I do wish them all the very, very best. They’ll be doing their best to make a lot of money, so hopefully they will make good movies.’
Ms Broccoli and Mr Wilson will ‘remain co-owners of the franchise’ as part of a new joint venture, but Amazon MGM Studios ‘will gain creative control’.
It is thought that Amazon became frustrated at the lack of progress on a new film, and of being the passive partner in artistic choices.
With Ms Broccoli and Mr Wilson stepping back, Amazon and MGM are expected to spin James Bond’s iconic status into a franchise comprising film and TV spinoffs in the vein of Marvel or Star Wars.
It is not yet clear whether Bond will be run by Amazon’s head of film Courtenay Valenti, or be handed to another creative, such as the Russo brothers – who made the international spy franchise Citadel for Amazon.
In a statement, the 83-year-old Mr Wilson, who has co-written the scripts for some of the films along with producing them, announced that he’s retiring from the film industry.
He wrote: ‘I am stepping back from producing the James Bond films to focus on art and charitable projects.
Meanwhile, Ms Broccoli, 64, plans to remain in Hollywood but focus her time and attention elsewhere as a producer, having recently bought the rights to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s memoir ‘An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s.’
She is also working on the musical ‘Buena Vista Social Club,’ which is slated to open on Broadway in 2025.
‘With the conclusion of ‘No Time to Die’ and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects,’ she said.