Michael G. Wilson has hinted that the next James Bond will be a "thirty-something".
The 80-year-old producer, along with his half-sibling Barbara Broccoli, is in charge of casting Daniel Craig's replacement as 007 and revealed that they are looking for stars of a certain age to take on the famous role.
Speaking at a BFI event to mark 60 years of James Bond films, Michael – who stressed that casting for the latest Bond is yet to start – said: "We've tried looking at younger people in the past. But trying to visualise it doesn't work.
"Remember, Bond's already a veteran. He's had some experience. He's a person who has been through the wars, so to speak. He's probably been in the SAS or something.
"He isn't some kid out of high school that you can bring in and start off. That's why it works for a thirty-something."
Michael revealed that a seduction scene from the 1963 film From Russia with Love – where Sean Connery's 007 finds Soviet military clerk Tatiana Romanova (played by Daniela Bianchi) in his bed – is always used to examine those who are aspiring to portray the suave spy.
The producer explained: "We always use the same scene... and that's the one in From Russia with Love, where Bond comes back to his room after the assassination, and he starts taking off his shirt, goes into the room to bathe.
"Then he hears something, takes his gun, goes in and the girl's in the bed."
Amazon now has the rights to the Bond franchise after the company's purchase of MGM and Michael stressed that 007 will continue as ever despite changes behind-the-scenes.
He told Deadline: "It's a whole new world. We've got to see what happens with Amazon. But there'll always be a Bond."
