Christoph Waltz says he is not returning for Bond 25

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The word has been able to resume normal functions now that Daniel Craig confirmed he is returning to play 007 one last time in BOND 25, even though there is still the matter of who he will square off against. SPECTRE left room for there to see a return for Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld, this time sporting a rather villainous eye scar. Sadly, the actor has come out and said there will be no more scar makeup for him, and that he will not be returning to torture the gentleman spy.

While on the red carpet the actor was asked by Italian outlet Talky Movie if he was returning in the upcoming BOND 25, and Waltz immediately came out with a dreaded, “No,” and ending the response with a palpable air of sadness:

"No, I'm sorry. I'm really sad, but that's the tradition, that there is a new…name. Sorry. I would've liked to."

Waltz could be referring to the fact that the villain has been played by a different actor each time he’s been brought back, going all the way back to his first intro in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. However, he could also mean there’s always a different villain with each movie (as there often is) when he referred to a “new name.” Or he could be playing coy, as he already did hiding his character’s true identity until it was revealed in the movie. If he is just taking us for a ride it will effectively earn the name Big Ol’ Liar Pants Waltz.

SPECTRE was a flawed movie for sure, but it’s hardly Waltz’s fault. He was great as the villain and I would’ve loved to see more of him in BOND 25, and he could’ve very easily taken that character to different places. But if he’s not returning it may mean the studios want to distance themselves from SPECTRE as opposed to continuing off it and are looking for a whole new story to bid Craig farewell with.  I have no earthly idea why you wouldn't want to bring back an actor like Waltz, so whatever they plan on doing but it better be for a damn good reason. 

BOND 25 is set for November 2019.