"That is absolutely untrue," said actor Christoph Waltz when asked whether or not he was actually playing James Bond's arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the upcoming 007 flick, Spectre. "That rumour started on the Internet, and the Internet is a pest," he added. "The name of my character is Franz Oberhauser." We want to believe him. And yet... there's a seed of doubt; a niggling feeling that something isn't quite right about this "Franz Oberhauser" character. Like Waltz has been told to keep schtum by director Sam Mendes, and is overcompensating in his attempt to shoot down the speculations. Waltz could be Oberhauser, but there's a lot of evidence that points to him being Blofeld, too. Could this simply be another Star Trek Into Darkness/Khan moment? Blofeld is the most famous of all Bond bad guys, of course - renowned for his unique look and that trademark cat. Given that Spectre will potentially mark Daniel Craig's last film as the iconic secret agent, it makes sense that Waltz - a highly-acclaimed actor with two Oscars under his belt - would find himself in the role of the most prestigious Bond villain. And wouldn't it be underwhelming if it turned out he was anybody other than Blofeld? Here, then, are seven compelling pieces of evidence that point to the fact that Christoph Waltz - against his own word - is secretly playing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, starting with...
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
