Phoebe Waller-Bridge thinks James Bond is “absolutely relevant now”

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The process of getting a new James Bond movie onto the silver screen has taken longer than it should’ve for a series that’s proven reliable for over 50 years, and has featured no shortage of interesting developments. Perhaps one of the movie left-field and exciting developments would be that SOLO actress and FLEABAG creator/star Phoebe Waller-Bridge would be lending a hand on the script, becoming the second woman in the series’ history to have her name on the credit (after Joanna Hardwood, DR. NO, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), and just as Bond’s treatment of female characters has come under more and more scrutiny.

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Now Waller-Bridge is opening up about being involved with the iconic series, and in the interview with Deadline, she talks about the character’s relevancy in today’s climate.  While she acknowledges people’s thoughts on the role women play in the movies and how Bond treats them, she doesn’t buy into the argument that the character has no place on the stage.

“There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women. I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. It has just got to grow. It has just got to evolve, and the important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.”

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She didn’t get into how big of a hand she had in the script writing, but she did talk about how excited she was writing dialogue for Daniel Craig’s Bond. “When I saw his Bond for the first time, there was a wryness to his performance that I really loved,” she said. “So, I was really excited about writing dialogue for him. I mean, the script was there. It’s already there. I think it’s unfair to say that I’m writing the script.”

As for the ensemble of women in the new movie, Waller-Bridge said her goal was to make characters played by Lashana Lynch, Ana de Armas and Lea Seydoux “felt like real people.”  

“I just want to make sure that when they get those pages through, that Lashana, Léa and Ana open them and go, ‘I can’t wait to do that.’ As an actress, I very rarely had that feeling early in my career. That brings me much pleasure, knowing that I’m giving that to an actress.”

Waller-Bridge is one of the most exciting and intelligent minds working in showbiz right now, from her remarkable work with FLEABAG, the series KILLING EVE and her scene-stealing work as the droid L3-37 in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. Bringing her on to help with the script was a smart move, and she's right that the stories and characters in the Bond universe need to change and reflect the times, all while keeping the main character true to his womanizing ways. How that comes out in the movie remains to be seen and between her lending her talents to the script and Cary Joji Fukunaga behind the camera, this could be one of the most fascinating outings yet.