Earlier this month, it was revealed that two-time Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz had landed a role in the as yet untitled "Bond 24." At that time, it was anyone's guess which character the Oscar winner would be playing, but it was assumed, based on sources that said his character was "extremely cunning," that he was a shoo-in for the part of that film's lead villain...whatever evil-doer it may eventually be. Today, the Daily Mail is clarifying that a bit, claiming that Waltz is playing none other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
According to the publication, Eon Productions will announce come December that Waltz is playing "an unknown character called Franz Oberhauser, son of the late Hans Oberhauser, a ski instructor who acted as a father figure to Bond." However, this announcement is simply a bit of subterfuge on the studio's part. The Mail cites an anonymous "Hollywood source" as saying: "Christoph Waltz is playing Blofeld in the next Bond film. The tone of the 007 films has changed significantly in recent years and the producers have changed the character to fit in with the new-look 007."
Also according to the report, "the new Blofeld will be just as sinister as earlier incarnations but will be more sophisticated and less campy."
Of course, the source's refusal to reveal its identity makes one question the report's legitimacy, but it's not unheard of for an anonymous source to deliver a massive scoop that turns out to be correct.
The Daily Mail also states that "Bond 24" is now able to use the Blofeld character (who was last seen plummeting down a London industrial chimney in 1981's "For Your Eyes Only") because of the settlement of a lengthy legal dispute between Eon Productions and the estate of the late Kevin McClory, a film producer and former friend of Bond author Ian Fleming, over who owns the rights to Blofeld and his evil, terrorist organization, SPECTRE.
