Christoph Waltz Could Return for Another James Bond Outing (Or Two)

Spectre wasn’t the biggest hit with fans of the James Bond franchise, due largely to the regressive nature of the script. After taking a step forward with Skyfall, director Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig’s 007 took two steps back in the latest outing, and the decision to play coy about the true identity of Christoph Waltz’s villain certainly didn’t do the film any additional favors. Regardless of how you felt about Waltz’s role in Bond’s 24th installment, the actor may very well return for another tussle with the iconic agent.

If you’re reading this far, then you’ve undoubtedly seen Spectre (that or you don’t care about spoilers), in which Waltz plays classic Bond foe Ernst Stavro Blofeld — a reveal that plays out in entirely anticlimactic fashion reminiscent of the Khan “reveal” in Star Trek Into Darkness and the ill-conceived marketing leading up to that film’s release.

The ending of Spectre leaves Blofeld’s fate a bit ambiguous, and if you weren’t a fan of the villain’s revival then you probably won’t like the Mirror’s latest report, which reveals that Waltz has signed on for two more Bond films — though there is a stipulation: Waltz will only reprise his role as Blofeld if Daniel Craig returns as Bond, which would allow the pair to continue building their chemistry as on-screen enemies.

Craig has famously flip-flopped on the notion of returning to the franchise, going so far as to say that he’d rather slit his wrists than play Bond again — even though he’s contracted for one more film, which would make the 25th Bond film his fifth outing as the iconic super spy.

The actor has yet to officially confirm his return for the next Bond film, which is also in need of a director as Sam Mendes will not return to helm the upcoming sequel. Say what you will of Spectre, but Waltz delivered exactly the sort of performance the film’s backwards-thinking plot demanded, sinking his teeth into the throwback role with all the exaggerated campiness required. Time will tell if the spy and his legendary nemesis will meet again, but it almost seems like Craig would be doing audiences a favor by leaving the franchise behind and relieving us from having to endure an entire Bond and Blofeld trilogy.