Christoph Waltz will join the cast of Bond 25, reprising his role as the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld, according to Variety. The iconic criminal mastermind has been played by actors including Donald Pleasence and Max von Sydow over the years, but Waltz took over the role with 2015’s Spectre.
Bond 25—an official title for the film has yet to be released—is currently filming at the UK’s Pinewood Studios. Rumors circulated earlier this year that the film’s working title was Shatterhand. Dr. Guntram Shatterhand is one of Blofeld’s aliases, so it seemed likely that Waltz would be returning to the series. However, in March Bond producer Barbara Broccoli suggested that the film would have a different title, casting doubts on Waltz’s role in the production. Now we know that Waltz is definitely in, but there haven’t been any updates surrounding the name of the much-anticipated release.
Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek is also slated to join Bond 25 as a villain, but whether that means that Waltz's Blofeld will be stepping back from Big Bad status is unclear.
The film's release has been delayed until April of next year, thanks in part to production troubles. Director Danny Boyle left the project last August, and was replaced by True Detective's Cary Fukunaga. In May, Craig was injured on set and production had to be delayed while the star recovered from ankle surgery. And just last month, reports emerged that in separate incidents an on-set explosion injured a crew member, iconic former Bond girl Grace Jones quit the film within moments of arriving on set, and a man had been arrested for placing a camera in the women's bathrooms at Pinewood Studios.
