The Hunt for 007 Is On: Casting Director Nina Gold Leads High-Stakes Search for Denis Villeneuve’s James Bond

Casting director Nina Gold, an Oscar nominee (part of the inaugural class, no less) for her recent work on Hamnet, has accepted her mission: to find the next James Bond.

Gold is leading the search to replace Daniel Craig in director Denis Villeneuve‘s upcoming Bond film, the first 007 film shepherded by Amazon MGM Studios. Variety reports that Gold has been auditioning actors for the past few weeks to fill one of the most iconic roles there is.

“The search for the next James Bond is underway,” Amazon MGM Studios said in a 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.”

Gold is a savvy choice to lead the search, given her breadth of knowledge in sizable productions that require performers with the gravitas to shoulder sprawling, epic worlds. While she was part of the first class of Oscar nominees for casting, recognized for populating Chloé Zhao’s intimate portrayal of the Shakespeare family in Hamnet, she’s also worked on sweeping epics on both the big and small screen, including J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Sam Mendes 1917, Ridley Scott’s The Martian, HBO’s Game of Thrones, Disney+’s Andor, and Netflix’s The Crown.

The previous casting director for the franchise was Debbie McWilliams, who cast Daniel Craig in Casino Royale and, before that, cast Goldeneye and The Living Daylights, finding Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton, respectively. Previous Bonds were played by Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and George Lazenby.

Villeneuve will direct from a script by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. The producers include Amy Pascal, the Spider-Man alum, and David Heyman from the Harry Potter franchise. Tanya Lapointe is executive producing.

Last month at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Courtenay Valenti, Amazon MGM’s head of film, offered this insight into the process.

“We’re taking the time to do this with care and deep respect,” Valenti said. “It is the dream of a lifetime for all of us to bring audiences this next chapter, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. What I can tell you is this: When you pair one of the most beloved franchises in history with a world-class film-making team, including the brilliant director Denis Villeneuve, extraordinary producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman, executive producer Tanya Lapointe and screenwriter Steven Knight, you’re setting the stage for something that’s truly worthy of the Bond legacy. That film is coming, and when the time is right, we’ll have much more to share.”

Featured image: Daniel Craig stars as James Bond in NO TIME TO DIE, an EON Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios film
Credit: Nicola Dove. © 2021 DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.