The woman who has cast the last 13 Bond films – who brought Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig to the role – stopped after the creative control of the films was sold to Amazon.
The acclaimed casting director Debbie McWilliams has been working with bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson for more than 40 years.
She told the film Bible Screen International: 'I wish everyone good luck and hope that the transition can be relatively painless. But it won't be the same. '
Mrs. McWilliams, who also cast films, including my beautiful Launderette, who made a star of Daniel Day-Lewis, seemed to criticize Amazon boss Jeff Bezos for taking X, formerly Twitter, with the question: 'Who would you choose as The next band? '
She said: 'Looking at the previous theatrical films of Amazon does not fill me with great enthusiasm.
'If they spill with the essence of Bond, they run the risk of alienating a huge audience. Choosing the actor to play the role is a huge task and not one that I would hand over to Subscribers of X. ''
She clarified that she decided to withdraw from choosing bonds before the deal was ink and said she understood why Barbara Broccoli had chosen to transfer creative control after reaching an impasse in relationships with Amazon.
Mrs. McWilliams said: 'I am sad to see the end of this era, but I fully understand why it happened.
Legendary casting agent Debbie McWilliams (photo) – who have found the last three bonds – stops after the creative control of the films is sold to Amazon
Mrs. McWilliams was the James Bond -casting director for more than 40 years in 13 films and was responsible for casting Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brsnan and Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig (photo) played in his last bond film in 2021 without time to die
'Before Amazon acquired MGM, Barbara and Michael had a good working relationship with the studio and always made the latest decisions.
'Producing a Bond film takes at least 2 years of their lives with little time for something else.
'And with Michael retired, I think Barbara did not have the appetite to bear the burden alone. She has so many other interests, especially with her theater projects. '
Mrs. Broccoli, whose father Cubby bought the film rights on the Ian Fleming books in 1961, did not produce time to die in 2021 for the last time. Daniel Craig's Bond saw that in the last scenes.
Since that point, Amazon has bought MGM and paid great for the rights to the MGM Back catalog, including Bond.
They were able to convince Mrs. Broccoli to plunder the IP to make 007: the road to a million, a game show, and she agreed with a second series.
Allegedly she considered the Amazon bosses as 'f *** ing idioten' and she had no idea, a script or a new band in the intervening four years.
McWilliams has thrown each of the last 13 James Bond films for Eon Productions, from 1981's for your eyes only until 2021's no time to that.
Barbara Broccoli (left) and Michael G Wilson (right) have produced the James Bond films for more than 40 years, but Amazon MGM Studios will now take creative control over the franchise
Michael G Wilson (left), Daniel Craig (center) and Barbara Broccoli (right) all say goodbye to the franchise
In a statement to Screen International, she said: 'I have worked closely with Barbara and Michael for more than 40 years and had the most amazing career, traveling all over the world in search of great actors and to be present at the various locations.
“I have now hung up my casting hat and moved to other film -related projects.”
Timothy Dalton, who played James Bond in 'The Living Daylights' from 1987 and 'License To Kill' of 1989, weighs the Blockbuster deal that old producers MR Wilson and MS Broccoli Pass saw complete creative control of the iconic Super Spy -Franchise Amazon MGM Studios.
“I was very, very surprised and shocked,” Mr Dalton said about the deal in an interview with Radio Times.
He said: 'Barbara is, I think, a fantastic woman and a great producer, just like her father Cubby Broccoli, with whom I could get along very well and enjoyed it a lot.
'He was a very powerful and strong anchor for the project. There was nothing that he did not want and it is sad that he is no longer with us, that is all I can say. He was in charge of the show and that is no longer the case.
'The films have followed different courses over the years, but there is something very good about the original and I hope that Amazon will be attached to it and gives us the kind of film that has brought so much excitement and pleasure to so many people.
Mr Dalton added: 'Anyway, good luck, I say. I wish them the very best. They will do their best to earn a lot of money, so hopefully they will make good films. '
Mrs. Broccoli and Mr. Wilson will remain 'co-owners of the franchise' as part of a new joint venture, but Amazon MGM Studios 'gets creative control'.
It is thought that Amazon became frustrated by the lack of progress on a new film and being the passive partner in artistic choices.
With Mrs. Broccoli and Mr. Wilson a step back, Amazon and MGM are expected to run the iconic status of James Bond in a franchise consisting of film and TV -spin -offs in the vein of Marvel or Star Wars.
It is not yet clear whether Bond is being run by Amazon's head of Film Courtenay Valenti, or is handed over to another creative, such as the Russo brothers -who made the International Spy -Franchise Citadel for Amazon.
In a statement, 83-year-old Lord Wilson, who wrote the scripts together for some of the films together with producing them, announced that he withdrew from the film industry.
He wrote: 'I step back from producing the James Bond films to concentrate on art and charity projects.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Broccoli, 64, is planning to stay in Hollywood, but to focus her time and attention elsewhere as a producer, after recently bought the rights to Doris Kearns Goodwin's Memoir 'an Unfinished Love Story: a personal history of the years 1960. ''
She also works on the musical 'Buena Vista Social Club', which is planned to open on Broadway in 2025.
“With the conclusion of” no time to die “and Michael who withdraws from the films, I think it's time to concentrate on my other projects,” she said.
