Despite being a late addition to the upcoming ‘Bond 25,’ writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge might be the best new face to tackle the upcoming sequel. After 24 films, and several with the current actor Daniel Craig as the superspy, many are hoping that Waller-Bridge can bring something new to the franchise.
The reason folks are hopeful about Waller-Bridge’s involvement is the overall feeling by many that James Bond is a character that is in desperate need of updating. Not because of technology or the age of the actors. Instead, the character himself, known for his womanizing ways and the films’ history of objectification of women, has led many to feel like James Bond is a relic from a bygone era.
Speaking to Deadline, the writer says that’s absolutely not the case.
“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,” Waller-Bridge said. “I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now.”
She continued, “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.”
Waller-Bridge says that she has been brought on to punch up the script, which has already had its fair share of writers, and that reports of her rewriting the entire thing are not true. But she’s excited with what her perspective can bring to the film.
“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,” said the writer.
‘Bond 25’ has a great cast led by Craig and the villainous Rami Malek. In addition to these two, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, and Billy Magnussen will appear in the film.
However, reports are now surfacing that Waller-Bridge’s big addition to the script, and the main reason she was brought aboard was to help make sense of the plot and make it more digestible for viewers. So, what’s the big plot that the all-star cast is going to work with in ‘Bond 25?’ Well, for the most part, the producers and folks involved have been tight-lipped, trying to eliminate the possibility of spoilers. However, the Daily Mail says that the plot of the new James Bond adventure will tackle the science of genetic engineering, with Malek’s villain character using genetic science for terrible reasons. What are those reasons? We’ll just have to wait and see.
‘Bond 25’ is expected to arrive on April 8, 2020.