Movies

Report: Christoph Waltz Returning As Blofeld For James Bond 25

Christoph Waltz in James Bond 25
By Ethan Anderton/

Back in the fall of 2017, when fans were still waiting patiently to see what would happen with the James Bond franchise, Spectre co-star Christoph Waltz seemed rather confident that he would not be returning as Blofeld. The character was revealed as being the mastermind behind the titular international criminal organization, as well as James Bond's adoptive brother, so it was a real shame that after his survival at the end of the last mission, he wouldn't be coming back.

But it turns out that's probably not true.

After rumors swirled earlier this spring that Christoph Waltz would actually be back as Blofeld for the currently untitled James Bond 25, further confirmation has come from across the pond.

The first time Christoph Waltz's return to James Bond was revealed came in April when The Playlist reporter Rodrigo Perez appeared on the 007 podcast The Words Are Not Enough and discussed the likelihood of his villain Blofeld being part of the proceedings. Now frequent James Bond news scooper Baz Bamigboye has confirmed the same news, and the actor was even spotted by a visitor to Pinewood Studios, where James Bond 25 is currently shooting:

Keep in mind that Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek has already been cast as the new villain of James Bond 25, so what will Blofeld's role be in all this? Reportedly, we'll see Blofeld in a Silence of the Lambs-esque scene where Lea Seydoux's character visits him in prison in order to learn more information about the new villain played by Malek.

This is likely a simple cameo designed to create another link between the James Bond movies, continuing the connection of narrative tissue that has helped make this iteration of 007 stand out from all of the others. But maybe there's a chance that Malek's new villain could bust Blofeld out of prison and we'll see some kind of villain team-up. Having Waltz and Malek chew some scenery together could be an exciting prospect.

But for now, we should just keep our fingers crossed that production on James Bond 25 can actually finish up without anymore hiccups. It already had a hell of a time getting off the ground with the replacement of director Danny Boyle by Cary Fukunaga. Plus, Daniel Craig was injured on set not long into production. Things seem to be on track for now, so hopefully we'll hear more about this one soon.

James Bond 25 is slated to arrive on April 8, 2020.

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