James Bond will return with a tear-jerking storyline – as his new wife is murdered and he struggles to cope with depression and grief.
New writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge – hired to refresh the script after her huge hit with Killing Eve – is said to be exploring the spy’s mental health for the franchise’s 25th instalment.
“There have been a lot of changes with the script but one angle they want to pursue is showing Bond’s more emotional side,” an insider revealed.
Waller-Bridge is believed to have found inspiration in Ian Fleming’s 1963 novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, where Bond’s new bride Tracy di Vicenzo is slain.
Bond 25 – untitled but due out next April – is tipped to be Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as the iconic spy.
It is believed that after quitting MI6 Bond will marry Madeline Swann – played by Léa Seydoux in 2015’s Spectre.
But Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek – hired to portray the new villain – will have her killed, leaving Bond in bits. “The 007 mission helps him overcome his depression,” the source added.
“There may be something along those lines in the film.”
Writer Waller-Bridge was brought in after previous director Danny Boyle quit amid backroom rows last year.
Bond chiefs are said to want to soften his macho, womanising image. And she is said to be trying to make female characters more three-dimensional.
The spy’s plight will echo our Time To Change campaign to improve treatment of people with mental health issues.
