Bond 25 is expected to be more “woke” in the #MeToo era.
But one of No Time To Die’s writers, Robert Wade, has dared to have a dig at Golden Globe winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who revised his script.
Wade, who has written other Bond hits, said: “It’s like a relay race, Phoebe did the bit where you get the prize at the end. For a woman, she is very witty.”
Ouch. When the host on podcast James Bond Radio expressed shock, he insisted: “It’s a joke.”
Despite Bond being called out for misogyny, Wade said it had “never worried” him.
“There haven’t been many women involved and obviously it’s a good thing for women to be involved.
"When we were in the middle of this whole process, the MeToo thing came about.
“It was interesting for me to reflect on because I’d never worried about the portrayal of women
in our movies.
"If they are not strong characters, then it makes Bond look weak.”
Wade also co-wrote Casino Royale and Skyfall, and highlighted strong female lead Eva Green, adding: “You could say our Bond Girl in Skyfall was Judi Dench. Sorry, we did kill her.”
He admitted he was “confused” when the latest 007 script was changed anyway, adding: “We had an idea of what the next Bond film should be.
"It was a very specific idea but a very brave idea.
“We spent a lot of time thrashing it out. It was slightly experimental and felt like that’s what we needed to do.
“We went to New York to talk to Daniel and he was on board for doing something kind of different.
“I’m not sure we fully pulled it off. But there was a certain amount of nervousness about it.”
He added: “It’s such a big thing and you can’t take it personally.”
Bond had to delay its release due to coronavirus fears. Bosses fear it may be leaked online.
Sounds like a mission for 007.