Bond 25: Christopher Waltz to Return as Villain Blofeld

Rumors recently surfaced that Academy Award-winning actor Christoph Waltz is returning to the world of James Bond as the villain Blofeld after he was spotted on set at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. Now, it appears those rumors have turned out to be true. Variety confirms that Waltz is, in fact, reprising his role as the super villain in the upcoming Bond 25.

According to Variety, the outlet has confirmed through their sources that Waltz is returning as the iconic villain who has previously been portrayed in other Bond films by actors Donald Pleasance, Max von Sydow and Telly Savalas.

On Thursday, the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye noted on Twitter that visitors to Pinewood had spotted Waltz who, at the time, told them "you haven't seen me". While that admonishment clearly didn't keep the secret particularly secret, it's not exactly a huge surprise that Waltz is returning. As fans of the franchise will recall, Blofeld's fate was left a bit up in the air at the end of 2015's Spectre. In that film's ending, Blofeld was seen crawling from the wreckage of his helicopter after it crashed on Westminster Bridge, with Bond (Daniel Craig) leaving him to be arrested by M.

With Bond 25 set to be Craig's last outing as the iconic super spy, it makes sense that the character's ultimate nemesis would return as well. As outlined in Spectre, Blofeld is actually Franz Oberhauser, Bond's adoptive brother of sorts who murdered his own father, staged his own death, took on the Ernst Stavro Blofeld identity, and then created the criminal organization SPECTRE as he worked for years to destroy Bond whom he resented for being their father's favorite. It's serious dedication to the villainous cause and one that isn't exactly likely to let one go down as easily as a helicopter crash and subsequent arrest.

As for how Waltz's Blofeld will factor into Bond 25, that remains a mystery. Little is known about Bond 25. Late in June a potential title, A Reason to Die, was leaked on Twitter, but that hasn't been confirmed. What is known is that the film has faced some extraordinary challenges during its production, including rewrites of the script and an ankle injury that sidelined Craig for weeks. You can check out the official description for Bond 25 below.

"Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology."

Are you excited Waltz is returning to the James Bond franchise? Let us know in the comments below.

Bond 25 is currently set to arrive in theaters on April 2020.