News of Waller-Bridge's involvement on the currently untitled Bond film, the 25th in the long-running franchise and the fifth to star Daniel Craig, first appeared in Britain's Observer newspaper on Sunday.

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that the British writer was indeed taking a pass through the script and that director Cary Fukunaga was fully aware of the decision.

The source said production remained on track to begin at the end of April.

Waller-Bridge's involvement came at the direct request of Craig, according to the Observer, which said Craig felt the script needed a polish to add more humour.

The Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated writer is known for her offbeat, caustic humour and strong characterisation.

This latest wrinkle on Bond 25 follows a troubled script process that saw original director Danny Boyle bring in frequent collaborator John Hodge (Trainspotting) to rework the original screenplay by regular Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

Boyle and Hodge then left the project over creative differences with producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, resulting in a delay to the start of production and a subsequent delay to the planned release, from October 2019 to April 2020.

It is not yet known whether Waller-Bridge will receive a screen credit for her work on the screenplay.

No female writer has been credited on a Bond title since Irish writer Johanna Harwood, who was brought on to rework original Bond title Dr. No and received an adaptation credit on its 1963 follow-up, From Russia With Love.

Australian Associated Press