Christoph Waltz Rumored to Play Blofeld in Next James Bond Movie

The villain in Skyfall was played by Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Javier Bardem. For the sequel, another Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner will reportedly take over as the big bad.

Christoph Waltz will reportedly play classic 007 villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 24th James Bond film, due for release next November. This will be the character's first time onscreen in three decades, having last been played on the big screen by Max von Sydow in 1983's Never Say Never Again.

This decision is the result of the settlement with the estate of Kevin McClory, the co-creator of the Blofeld character. The legal battle prevented any recent Bond movies from incorporating the character or any of the facets tied to the character, such as the treacherous SPECTRE organization. McClory's estate, however, has sold the rights to MGM, allowing the company to dig deeper into the James Bond mythos in the Daniel Craig Bond movies.

According to sources, Waltz will be introduced as a character going by the name Franz Oberhauser. Oberhauser, the son of a late ski instructor "who acted as a father figure to Bond," will later be revealed as Blofeld.

MGM has not yet confirmed the casting news, but if true, this is huge for the Bond franchise. Daniel Craig has offered one of the best portrayals of Ian Fleming's original, tortured protagonist, and the ability to interact with the character's mythos in a more meaningful fashion, via the introduction of such an iconic villain, will be great for the franchise. This is without even mentioning that Waltz is one of the best working actors today. I can't wait to see his take on the character.

Via: The Guardian

Credit: The Weinstein Company