CAUTION: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW FOR SPECTRE (2015)

According to Slash Film, Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained (2012), The Legend of Tarzan (2016)) , the actor who most recently portrayed the iconic James Bond villain of Blofeld in Spectre, will not be returning to the role in the upcoming and recently confirmed Bond 25 (2019).

Last seen as Cornelius Sandvoort in Tulip Fever (2017) with Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, and Judi Dench, Christoph Waltz was the seventh actor to play 007’s arch-nemesis, the previous actors being Anthony Dawson, Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray, John Hollis, and Max Von Sydow. 

While some wish the big baddy was present more in the last Bond film, the underrated Spectre delivered a fantastic and deliciously evil performance out of Christopher Waltz, with an especially eerie re-introduction to his character. If you are a Bond fan or know the Bond films, you will know that Blofeld does not appear for very long in any of his films.

Does Christopher Waltz’s exit mean the end of Blofeld?

So what does this mean for the franchise and the next Bond film? It’s hard to say. The way things were left with Bond and Blofeld in Spectre leaves limitless possibilities. While it is very obvious that Blofeld is captured at the conclusion of the film, it wouldn’t take much for him to escape and get back to ruining Bond’s life. Just because the actor is not present does not mean that the character does not still exist. That might have been Blofeld’s time in the limelight, and time for another villain to come forward, even if under Blofeld’s palm.

Could someone else portray Blofeld in the next Bond film? Anything is possible, but it seems highly unlikely especially with Daniel Craig returning to keep the continuity intact. Whoever replaces Craig might have a new Blofeld to face by then.

Christoph Waltz can be seen this holiday season in Downsizing (2017), starring Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, and Hong Chau, on December 22, 2017.

As of right now, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Bond 25 has a release date of November 8, 2019 with Daniel Craig confirmed to star. We’ll have all of the latest Bond updates here.