Funny thread title. LOL. Man, do I wish Phoebe Cates would have gotten to do an Indy film.
The suspicion over Phoebe Waller just dovetails with all of the political agendas and social engineering being forced into modern franchise films. She's not just an actress, she's a writer as well. Her series Fleabag is often described as a feminist comedy. Obama named it one of his favorite TV shows in 2019. If she's acting in something, it probably means she'll be contributing to the writing, especially the dialogue. People found her L3-37 annoying, especially the "gags" about wanting "equal rights" and that sort of thing. It's too on the nose and in your face as a political reference. Star Wars under Lucas had subtle references to politics, but rarely anything so overt that it takes you out of the fantasy and reminds you of the real world, when you're just there looking for escapism.
Look at her SNL monologue. She goes for "applause" jokes. Meaning, jokes that take shots at men or push feminist messages that get the audience applauding and cheering at her opinions more than laughing at her jokes. That's the refuge of a lazier, less talented comedian. A real comedian makes us laugh at things that carry no baggage or social relevance whatsoever, like Jerry Seinfeld joking about cotton balls.
Her being hired as a writer on Bond brought up all these same issues. So the discussion about her being hired on Indiana Jones is hardly the fevered rantings of fanboys. Speculation about the influence she'd have on Bond was in the mainstream media, and she was posed questions about it, including by Deadline:
She said to them about Bond: “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.”
What "treating the women properly" means is up for interpretation. But it's clear to me, that is a feminist goal, not an entertainment goal.
Cue the "You hate women, you woman-hating hate crime committer!" brigades!
I'm all for her casting if none of those types of ideological messages are put in the movie. I could see her playing an out-for-herself double-crosser better than Alison Doody or Ray Winstone did. But, the safe bet is that you don't hire Phoebe-Waller Bridge if you aren't looking to put a "feminist polish" on your project.
People back then seemed to look older and more mature for their age anyways.
Probably because of all the makeup used now. Remember the joke in Ferris Bueller about Charlie Sheen saying the girl wearing too much makeup looked like a whore? That joke falls flat today, as this kind of overdone makeup is now common.
