In the most recent generation of the James Bond franchise, the character arc of Ernst Stavro Blofeld got off to a bit of a rocky start. Though the production certainly got an ace performer to play the role in two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, but his introduction in Spectre was fumbled with a mix of less-than-stellar plotting and unfortunate marketing.
The legendary villain will soon be getting his chance at redemption, however, as Christoph Waltz will be reprising the role in director Cary Fukunaga's No Time To Die. Having been revealed as the head of the world's most sinister organization, his role in the new movie will be very different this time around, and Fukunaga confirmed as much during a recent interview:
Blofeld is an iconic character in all the Bond films. He’s in prison, but he certainly can’t be done yet, right? So what could he be doing from in there and what nefarious, sadistic things does he have planned for James Bond and the rest of the world?
Cary Fukunaga sat down with Empire in coordination of the release of the first trailer for No Time To Die, and while the director was certainly a big cagey about the topic, the role of Blofeld in the new blockbuster was among those brought up in conversation. As noted by Fukunaga, the villain will be in prison at the start of the movie, but that doesn't mean that he's rendered harmless.
In Spectre, audiences learned that Ernst Stavro Blofeld is actually Franz Oberhauser, who was James Bond's brother growing up following the death of 007's parents. By the end of the 2015 film, Bond was able to unravel Blofeld's plot and have him arrested, but given both his intelligence and connections, it's really impossible to stop a man like him from doing what he is intent on doing.
Plus, it's worth noting that imprisoning a terrifying villain isn't really something that remains as a permanent status in these films. Those of you who saw Skyfall will remember that MI6 was able to capture Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva and put him behind bars, but that didn't last very long at all (in fact, it lasted exactly as long as Silva wanted it to last).
It should be noted that while Blofeld will presumably have a key supporting role in No Time To Die, he won't be the film's central antagonist - as that particular honor this time out belongs to Academy Award winner Rami Malek, who is playing a new villain named Safin.
Daniel Craig as James Bond, Rami Malek, and Christoph Waltz together make for an impressive trio to star in a blockbuster, but the are really only a fraction of the awesome ensemble that has been brought together for the 2020 release. Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, and Ralph Fiennes are all set to reprise their roles from the previous set of three James Bond movies in No Time To Die, while Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch will be introduced as original characters.
The story begins with James Bond being out of active service, but being called upon by Felix Leiter with a mission. A scientist on the CIA's radar has gone missing, and Bond's assisstance is needed to find out where he has gone. Like all of the franchise's films in the past, it will lead to a globetrotting adventure that sees him squaring off against a maniacal new evil.
No Time To Die will be in theaters on April 8, 2020, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates about the film. To see what else is heading to theaters in the coming new year, be sure to check out our 2020 Release Calendar.
