The next entry in the storied James Bond franchise is set to be something of a departure for the famous super spy. James Bond won't even be working for the British government when the story picks up, However, The biggest, and potentially most important change might be behind the scenes, in the addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge to the team writing No Time to Die.
The Fleabag writer is one of the hottest scribes in Hollywood right now, and that's what matters. If one were to suggest, as The Sunday Times basically did, (via Yahoo) that Waller-Bridge was brought in for any reason other than the fact that she's a great writer, James Bond will tell you exactly what you can do with that thought. Daniel Craig has little patience for any of this, dropping a NSFW word into his response to the suggestion...
Look, we’re having a conversation about Phoebe’s gender here, which is fucking ridiculous. She’s a great writer. Why shouldn’t we get Phoebe onto Bond?
The Sunday Times reports that Daniel Craig delivered this response in good humor, so he wasn't necessarily lashing out at the idea, but he clearly was having none of it. The idea that this decision was made for any reason other than talent is something he's giving zero attention.
While there's nothing wrong with adding a bit of diversity to a production, it can give a movie different perspectives that it wouldn't otherwise have, Daniel Craig seems to want to be clear that Phoebe Waller-Bridge wasn't added to No Time To Die simply because she was a woman, but because she is a great writer.
Daniel Craig does confirm that Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought on to No Time To Die, at his request, but that request came simply because he blown away by her work, and Craig wanted that voice to be part of his next (and likely final) outing as James Bond.
She’s just brilliant. I had my eye on her ever since the first Fleabag, and then I saw Killing Eve and what she did with that and just wanted her voice. It is so unique - we are very privileged to have her on board.
Whatever skills Daniel Craig saw, it seems the rest of No Time To Die also noticed. There are rumors that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is already being wooed by EON Productions to handle the script writing duties for the next James Bond film. While it appears that the Fleabag writer was brought into the process a bit late, it sounds like the final script may contain a lot of her work.
Filming on No Time To Die recently wrapped and the movie is eyeing an April 2020 release date, so we'll likely get our first look via a trailer very soon.
