The 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' actress has debunked report suggesting that she has been entrusted to sit behind the lens for the upcoming 007 movie.
- Jun 28, 2023
AceShowbiz - Phoebe Waller-Bridge has dismissed reports suggesting she is set to direct the next James Bond film. The "Fleabag" creator is aware of the rumour that she is being lined up to helm the next movie in the 007 franchise, which will mark the first film since Daniel Craig, 55, bowed out as the suave spy in 2021's "No Time to Die".
"My mum sent me that rumour too," she reacted in an interview for the July/August issue of Vanity Fair magazine - of which she is the cover star. She then quipped, "So the obvious leap is James Bond."
Screenwriter and actress Phoebe, 37, noted that she has only ever directed a music video. However, she did submit original ideas for "No Time to Die" script. Phoebe's submissions for the flick were ultimately rejected for being "too camp."
The star was drafted in to "tweak" the script for the blockbuster but admitted that a lack of preparation meant that several of her early suggestions were turned down by Bond bosses. Phoebe told acting students at a talk at London's Haymarket Theatre earlier this year, "I should naturally have done a lot of Bond research... I didn't do a huge amount of research for it. I'm not very good at homework. That says a lot. Sometimes it is frustrating when you say, 'I think this is genius', and they are like, 'Next time.' "
Her latest role [Helena Shaw] was in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" alongside Harrison Ford in the titular role. And while she has claimed her character won't be replacing the Hollywood legend's iconic part, he has tipped her to become a huge movie star.
She told the publication, "There's no replacing Indiana Jones in any way. But I feel like the character herself - she did feel fresh on the page, and there is a sense of, is there room in the world for someone like this?"
And the 80-year-old star said, "She's certainly capable of being a movie star. It's a question of whether or not she wants to endure that responsibility. Whatever it is that we think she should do, she'll have a better idea. She's sitting on top of the pile right now."
Elsewhere, Phoebe explained that she decided to walk away from the Amazon series "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" because she didn't want to get in the way of the "vision." However, the studio has been supportive, even though she is under two contracts with them and hasn't delivered anything since "Fleabag", which had two series in 2016 and 2019.
Phoebe - who would have starred alongside 39-year-old Donald Glover - said, "I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it - still care about it. And I know it's gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it's about knowing when to leave the party. You don't want to get in the way of a vision. And some marriages don't work out."
The Emmy-winning star insists a project needs to have a feeling of "danger" about it for her to be involved. She said, "Happy to be called creatively controlling. What I look for in something is that little bit of electricity, of danger or saying something, doing something that hasn't been done before. If I don't feel that, I can plow and plow and plow, I just won't make it. They've been with me along this process where I'm like, 'I'm getting there, but I want it to be f****** amazing.' "
