Amazon MGM Studios has tapped British casting director Nina Gold to find the actor who will play James Bond, TheWrap has learned.
“The search for the next James Bond is underway,” a spokesperson for Amazon MGM Studios said in a Thursday statement. “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.”
“Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct.
The interest around the casting of 007 is a reminder of the staying power of the 64-year-old spy franchise, underscoring why Amazon paid $20 million for full creative control. With the tech titan keen to build out a universe of programming around this world, the stakes are high for a successful re-introduction of James Bond.
Historically, new James Bond actors are cast after intense rounds of screen tests. Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan and others landed their roles after performing scenes from classic Bond movies in front of a camera. Even the actors who don’t get the role have been immortalized in these famous screen tests — footage exists of Henry Cavill doing his best Bond, for example.
Best known for casting “Game of Thrones,” Gold’s other credits include the Netflix series “The Crown,” the recent entries in the “Star Wars” franchise, “Les Misérables,” “The Martian” “Conclave” and “Hamnet.” She was recently nominated for the first-ever Academy Award in Casting for “Hamnet.”
Variety first reported the news.
