Speculation mounts that Christoph Waltz will take on the guise of returning villain Blofeld as new James Bond film Spectre is announced
As a huge wave of excitement continues to sweep over James Bond fans following the announcement of the franchise's 24th film, questions are now being asked about the plot.
While the majority of the characters have been named, the storyline behind Spectre, whose seven-month production is set to kick off on Monday, has remained largely under wraps.
At a press conference at Pinewood Studios early Thursday, it was confirmed that Daniel Craig will be reprising his role as super-spy 007, while Ralph Fiennes has been drafted back in as M.
Scroll down for video
I spy: Daniel Craig, left, and Christoph Waltz, right, were on hand for the announcement of the new James Bond film, Spectre, at Buckinghamshire's Pinewood Studios on Thursday morning
And while a plethora of other stars - including Naomie Harris (Miss Moneypenny), Christoph Waltz (Hannes Oberhauser) and Monica Belluci (Lucia Sciarra) - have also been announced as being part of the cast, little else is known about how their storylines will play out.According to a statement from the team behind the highly anticipated film: 'A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organisation.
'While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre.'
Missing detail: Returning director Sam Mendes, who also helmed 2012's Skyfall, was on hand to announce the star-studded cast, but made no mention of iconic villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is expected to return
At Thursday's press conference, Sam Mendes said of the film's name: 'Those of you who have some knowledge of the Bond franchise and of the legend of Bond will probably have some idea what that refers to, but I couldn't possibly comment.'
However, avid fans are well aware of the organisation Spectre, which first appeared in Ian Fleming's 1961 novel Thunderball and is an acronym for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.
The sinister outfit, which made its screen debut in 1962's Dr No, is headed up by the cat-loving villainous mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld, boss of such noted characters as Dr Julius No, Emilio Largo and Rosa Klebb.
Bad boy: Irish actor Andrew Scott had previously been rumoured to be taking on a major Bond villain - speculated to be Blofeld - but he has since been announced as Denbigh
Interestingly, there was no mention of Blofeld at the conference. But, given that his organisation is making a return to the franchise - and he is the master of disguise, who has gone so far to as to get plastic surgery to maintain his anonymity - he is expected to appear under an assumed identity.
Most speculated for the role is currently Christoph's Hannes Oberhauser, the skiing and climbing instructor credited with training up the future 007 when he was growing up.
Returning director Sam, who was also at the helm of the hugely successful 2012 film Skyfall, only added fuel to the speculation that Obehauser could well have a dual identity when he spoke of Austrian actor Christoph's casting.
Secret behind the smile? It is now believed that Christoph's skiing and jumping instructor character Hannes Oberhauser could well unveil himself to have a double identity as Bond's arch-nemesis
Singling out to the two-time Oscar winner, he said: 'The most important member [of the visiting cast], I think – an extraordinary actor – I could not be happier than to be having in this cast and joining us on this journey, Mr Christoph Waltz.'
Daniel Craig has said that fans will have to 'wait and see' if Christoph's character is, indeed his character's iconic arch-nemesis, telling the BBC: 'We've got an amazing cast and, I think, a better script than we had last time.
'We started something in Skyfall, it felt like a beginning of something. This feels like a continuation of that. We're going to put all of those elements in, and much more.'
On the team: (L-R) Monica Belluci (Lucia Sciarra), Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann) and Naomie Harris (Miss Moneypenny) have also been announced as part of the production, which starts filming over the course of seven months from Monday in such locations as the UK, Austria, Morocco, Mexico and Italy
Whoever will take on the role, Blofeld's return to screens would be a welcome one, following a 43-year absence after 1971's Diamonds Are Forever.
The character and organisation were shut out of James Bond movies following a long-running legal dispute between co-writers Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory.
In 2013, MGM acquired full and exclusive rights over both fictional parties, clearing the way for their big screen return.
The big reveal: Sam Mendes teamed up with producer Barbara Broccoli to unveil the cast of Spectre, which will be the 24th Bond movie and is due for release on November 6, 2015
The team: (L-R) Andrew Scott, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, director Sam Mendes, Lea Seydoux, Daniel Craig, Monica Bellucci, Christopher Waltz, Ben Whishaw, Dave Bautista and Rory Kinnear were all on hand for the high-profile announcement, which was live-streamed on 007.com
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2860934/Christoph-Waltz-speculated-play-villain-Blofeld-new-James-Bond-movie-Spectre.html#ixzz3Kz1zqY30
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment