Is Christoph Waltz Set To Play Blofeld?

"I shall look forward personally to exterminating you, Mr. Bond. So long as I actually get this casting..."

Like the plot of one of Ian Fleming's great works, the rumours concerning Christoph Waltz's appearance in Sam Mendes' untitled Bond 24 have taken an interesting turn. The Daily Mail has received unconfirmed reports that the Oscar-winning actor is set to take the role of Ernest Stravo Blofeld - head of shadowy terrorist organisation SPECTRE and arguably Bond's most formidable adversary. 

First appearing in 1963's From Russia With Love, Blofeld's character was initially shrouded in mystery - shown from the chest down stroking his equally famous white cat. It wasn't until 1967's You Only Live twice that the villain's scarred features were revealed, played with a vague Hungarian lilt by Donald Pleasence. He appears in six "official" Bond films, compared to only three appearances in Fleming's original novels.

An unnamed Hollywood source has told the Mail that Eon productions - which currently owns the Bond franchise - will announce in the first week of December that Waltz is set to appear as Franz Oberhauser, son of the late Hans Oberhauser, a ski instructor who acted as a father figure to Bond. The source claims that the studio will be using the announcement to cover Waltz's actual role, which will see Blofeld reinterpreted in a similar vein to the rest of the modern Bond franchise.

Should Waltz be resurrecting the old foe, there's only one question we're really bothered by - is he going to have a cat? 

[Via: Daily Mail]

(Images: Rex)