At the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, an audience member asked Debbie McWilliams — the woman who determined the face of Agent 007 for four decades — whether Bond could be a woman or a person of color. "In my opinion, no," she replied without hesitation.
The argument sounded convincing: "Ian Fleming wrote the character, and that character remains." But almost immediately, McWilliams added a detail that undermined her own logic.
"I have never read a single James Bond book in my life. Everything was always based on the screenplay."
Debbie McWilliams, Karlovy Vary, 2025
In other words, Fleming's authority as an argument comes from someone who hasn't read him and herself admits that late screenplays "had nothing to do with the books." There is a position, but the foundation beneath it is shaky.
What McWilliams actually knows better than anyone else
Her practical experience is indisputable. She is the one who discovered Daniel Craig, whom initially no one wanted. According to her, the turning point was Craig's role in "Layer Cake" — after which Barbara Broccoli personally requested a meeting. Before that, Craig himself "hesitated" about taking the role.
When asked who will be the next Bond, McWilliams was honest: "I don't know and I don't have an opinion." Among the names circulating in the press are Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Harris Dickinson, Tom Holland. McWilliams herself named no one.
Context that changes everything
The discussion about Bond's race and gender is taking place after the rules of the game have changed radically. In February 2025, Amazon MGM Studios reached an agreement with Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson and gained full control of the franchise. The next film's director is Denis Villeneuve, with Steven Knight ("Eastern Promises") as screenwriter.
McWilliams herself noted: casting "is about to change radically." The decision on the next 007 will no longer be made by the Broccoli family, but by a corporation with its own logic and priorities.
- McWilliams began her career in 1972 and cast over 100 projects
- At the festival, she received an award for outstanding contribution from the International Association of Casting Directors
- On AI in cinema, she spoke sharply: "This is the death knell for the entire film industry"
McWilliams' position is not new or sensational: it reflects the views of part of the industry that considers Bond a literary archetype rather than a cultural mirror. But the paradox is that this very person spent decades proving: what matters is not the description in the book, but what works on screen. No one wanted Craig — until he appeared.
If Amazon truly searches for a new Bond through global market logic rather than family tradition — will the argument "Fleming wrote it this way" hold up against the commercial calculation of a studio that just paid billions for the franchise?
