The ongoing saga of what in the world is going on with theBond 25script got a delightful curveball just before production began, asFleabagandKilling EvecreatorPhoebe Waller-Bridgewas brought on to further work on the screenplay. And now Waller-Bridge has offered some details on what her work entailed.
To briefly recap, the initialBond 25script hailed from longtimeBondveteransRobert WadeandNeal Purvis, but then whenDanny Boyleand his frequent writerJohn Hodgethrew their hat into the ring with an original idea, the producers changed course.Thatiteration of the project hit a wall last August, when Boyle and Hodge leftBond 25over creative differences with their iteration of the screenplay, at which point the producers reverted back to the Purvis and Wade draft and then brought onCary Joji Fukunagato co-write and direct. As production loomed, noted script doctorScott Z. Burnswas brought in to do what was reported assomething of an overhaul, and thenliterallyright before filming began, word came down that Waller-Bridge entered the fray to do a dialogue polish and add some humor.
And according to Waller-Bridge, that’s exactly what she did. Speaking with Deadline, the actress and writer says it would be unfair to say she “wrote” the script, even though she has a credit courtesy of the productions press release:
“When I saw [Daniel Craig’s] 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.”
Waller-Bridge did say, however, that she was intent on making sure the film’s female leads—played byLea Seydoux,Lashana Lynch, andAna de Armas—were treated as three-dimensional characters in the context of the film, while also being careful to acknowledge that the character of Bond himself doesn’t necessarily need to transform into a woke feminist icon in order for the franchise to remain relevant:
“There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [theBondfranchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women,” she said. “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.Hedoesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.”
Indeed, I don’t think anyone expects James Bond to suddenly stop his womanizing ways, but there’s a difference between a film with a misogynistic lead character and a film that is itself misogynistic in the way it treats women, and it’s nice to know that those involved in theBondfranchise aren’t interested in backsliding.
In further detailing her work on the script, Waller-Bridge said she just wanted to make sure the female characters felt like real people:
“I just want to verify 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 only the second woman inBondfranchise history to earn a screenplay credit, followingDr. NoandFrom Russia with Love’sJohanna Hardwood, and I can’t wait to see what her involvement brings to the table.
