Bond 25 Writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge Talks About The "Fantasy Nightmare" Of Being James Bond

Actor and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) was hired to contribute to the Bond 25 script, and now she has shared a little more insight into the "fantasy nightmare" of being James Bond. Not only that, but her reported pay for the movie has also been revealed.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Waller-Bridge said she's been intrigued by how James Bond and the Killing Eve character Villanelle, who is an assassin, are similar. "They live a fantasy! But it's a life none of us would ever want, if we're honest. We don't want to go put a bullet in someone's head to sleep with people and have martinis," she said. "It's a kind of fantasy nightmare."

Waller-Bridge is the fifth credited screenwriter for Bond 25; she joins director Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts of No Nation), Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum, Contagion), and veteran James Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

"A lot has been made of me coming on board because I'm a woman, and that's wonderful. But also I can't take credit for the movie that was written. It's Cary's movie," Waller-Bridge said.

According to the report, Bond actor Daniel Craig personally requested that the producers hire Waller-Bridge to write "sharper dialogue" for Bond 25. The report states that she was paid $2 million USD for her contributions to the script.

Also in the interview, Waller-Bridge was asked to respond to the rumors that Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch is playing a new 007 in Bond 25. She didn't confirm anything one way or the other, but instead gave a teasing reply. "The whole thing has potential to birth new iconic characters all the time," she said.

In a previous interview, Waller-Bridge said she wants to see the James Bond franchise move with the times. "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 told Deadline. "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."

Bond 25, or whatever title is eventually given to the film, will release on April 3, 2020.