James Bond's director tells all about casting process for iconic role

James Bond's long-time casting director has laid out why they will not opt for younger actors in the renowned role of 007 in the future.

Since Daniel Craig revealed that he will not play 007 in the next instalment, there has been much conjecture regarding who might take his place.

Although the next person in line is still unknown, franchise employees working behind the scenes have revealed what they are looking for and what they are not looking for.

The Bond series wants a future Bond star, who is expected to be a "younger actor," as per Debbie McWilliams, who has worked as a casting director for the Bond films since 1981.

McWilliams told the Radio Times that younger actors tried out for the role when they were auditioning for the 2006 picture Casino Royale, which ended up choosing Craig, who was in his 30s.

However, none of them precisely fits the bill for a variety of reasons.

"When we started, it was a slightly different feel," McWilliams said.

"We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don’t think they had the gravitas. They didn’t have the experience, they didn’t have the mental capacity to take it on, because it’s not just the part they’re taking on, it’s a massive responsibility."

"So we kind of scrubbed that idea and went back to the drawing board and started again."

Casting director talks about older looking but not famous name for Bond character:

While McWilliams stated that they were searching for a little older Bond, this did not necessarily imply that they were looking for a popular name.

"Timothy Dalton was known, but he was known as a Shakespearean actor, really," she continued.

"Pierce was known, but that was basically from television. Roger Moore was known from television. Sean Connery wasn't [known] – nobody had ever heard of him."

"A certain audience had heard of Daniel Craig, but much more the kind of independent cinema audience. He hadn't done any huge commercial film at all, really – [2004 film] Layer Cake I suppose was the most popular, should we say, of the things he had done prior to Bond, but he wasn't a hugely well-known actor" she added.