'James Bond' casting director explains reason of not taking young actors for 007

James Bond longtime casting director has explained why they won't cast younger actors for the iconic role of 007.

Since, Daniel Craig has announced that he won't play 007 in the next instalment, speculation has been on going since then about who could be his replacement.

While, it is still not known who’s next in line, behind the scenes workers on the franchise have dropped details on what they’re looking for - and what they’re not after.

According to Debbie McWilliams, who has served as casting director on the Bond films since 1981, the franchise wants a future Bond star, who is unlikely to be a "younger actor."

In a conversation with the Radio Times, McWilliams said younger stars did try out for the role back when they were casting for 2006 film Casino Royale, which ended up casting Craig, who was in his 30s.

However, none of them quite fit the requirements for a number 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.”

While McWilliams said they were looking for a slightly older Bond, it didn’t necessarily mean they were after 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.