Timothy Dalton was originally considered for the role of James Bond in the late 1960s, after Sir Sean Connery left the role, following Man lebt nur zweimal (1967). Dalton was screen-tested by Albert R. Broccoli for Im Geheimdienst Ihrer Majestät (1969), but he turned down the part, as he thought he was too young. He was also considered for Diamantenfieber (1971), but turned it down again, still feeling he was too young. He was considered again for the role in James Bond 007 - In tödlicher Mission (1981), when for a while, it was unclear whether Sir Roger Moore would return. However, Dalton declined at that time, as there was no script (or even first draft). Dalton was offered the role again in 1983 for Octopussy (1983), and yet again in 1985 for James Bond 007 - Im Angesicht des Todes (1985), but had to decline the role both times due to previous commitments. Dalton was not even the first choice to play Bond in this film, as Pierce Brosnan was originally slated to star in early development before being let go by the producers at the last minute to finish his television commitments. With Brosnan temporarily out of the picture, Dalton was once again offered the role and this time he accepted.
The casting of Frederick Warder and Glyn Baker as 004 and 002 was intentional, due to their resemblance to George Lazenby and Sir Roger Moore, respectively. For the movie's opening scene, the writers wanted to toy with the audience's expectations of which of the 00 agents was Bond.
Timothy Dalton was originally unavailable to play Bond, and Pierce Brosnan was then chosen to play 007 in 1986, and was given the script to this movie. Although he was contracted to Remington Steele (1982) for seven seasons, NBC decided to cancel the show at the end of the fourth season, which meant that Brosnan was free to play James Bond in this movie the following year. However, shortly after the end of the fourth season, NBC had second thoughts about cancelling "Remington Steele", and subsequently approached the Bond producers directly in an attempt to strike a deal that would allow Brosnan to play James Bond and Remington Steele the following year. NBC also offered to completely reschedule the shooting of Remington Steele to ensure that there were no scheduling conflicts. But eventually, Albert R. Broccoli famously told NBC that "James Bond will not be Remington Steele, and Remington Steele will not be James Bond." Accordingly, Brosnan would only play Bond if the show remained cancelled. NBC had a sixty day deadline to revoke their decision to cancel the series, and at 6:30 p.m. on the sixtieth day of the deadline, Brosnan learned that NBC decided to make a fifth season. The Bond producers subsequently prevented Brosnan from becoming the next James Bond. Subsequently, the role went to Timothy Dalton, who was now finally available. NBC went on to make only six episodes of the fifth season of Remington Steele (1982) before finally cancelling the show for good.
Christopher Reeve turned down a million-dollar offer by Albert R. Broccoli to play Bond in this film. Had he accepted, he would have been the only American (as of 2023) to play the role.
John Barry: The composer appears as the conductor of Kara's (Maryam d'Abo's) orchestra in the final scene.
Michael G. Wilson: At the opera, sitting near Saunders, to the right of the lady with a white dress.
Michel Julienne: Man in White Car during chase in opening sequence. Michel Julienne is responsible for organising the driving Stunts.
John Glen: [pigeon] When Bond infiltrates Brad Whitaker's mansion premises late in the film, whilst stealthily moving through the garden, he is startled by a white pigeon.