In most cases, a casting director joining a film production wouldn’t be huge news. But this is no ordinary role being filled; it’s the next James Bond. And the casting director is a recognizable name in her own right: Nina Gold, who has outstanding credits across TV (Game of Thrones, Andor) and film, including several Star Wars features. She was also one of the first creatives to be nominated for the brand-new Oscar for Achievement in Casting for her work on Hamnet. The news of Gold’s involvement in Denis Villeneuve’s Bond film—the first since Daniel Craig bowed out as 007 as well as the first since Amazon MGM Studios took control of the franchise—came from Variety, which also had a statement from the studio: “The search for the next James Bond is underway. 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.” Official channels may not plan to divulge any details, but you can expect speculation, which was already running pretty hot, to get even more intense as the process continues. As Variety reminds us, Jacob Elordi, Callum Turner, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are just a few of the names who’ve surfaced; the general understanding has been that a younger actor is wanted for the role. (Craig was in his early 50s when he starred in No Time to Die in 2021.)