Fleabag star and Killing Eve exec producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge has shared her thoughts on why Bond remains relevant despite his historically problematic attitude towards women.

In April it was confirmed that Waller-Bridge has co-written the screenplay for the upcoming 25th Bond movie, making her only the second woman to contribute to a Bond script (after Johanna Harwood, who co-wrote Dr. No and From Russia with Love).

Ian Fleming's iconic character has often been labeled a "sexist dinosaur," but Waller-Bridge insisted that this doesn't make the franchise redundant.

“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 b*****s. 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.”

The cast of the upcoming Bond movie includes rising star actresses Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel, Bulletproof), Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049, The Informer), and Léa Seydoux (Blue Is the Warmest Color). Waller-Bridge said that she has taken pride in making sure their characters are fully-realized.

“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," she said.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation) is shooting the new Bond movie now at various locations in the U.K., Norway, Italy, and Jamaica. The movie’s official title hasn't been announced yet, but we know that Rami Malek is playing the main villain who'll cause trouble for Daniel Craig's 007. Franchise faves Andrew Scott, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Ralph Fiennes are all back, too.

If you're a Phoebe Waller-Bridge fan, you might like to check out our list of things you might not know about the award-winning writer-actress.

Are you excited to see how Phoebe Waller-Bridge has helped to shape the new Bond movie?