If Blofeld were to return to the modern Bond films...who would play him well?

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  • Shopov seems alright. He has the right eyes and voice
  • brinkeguthriebrinkeguthrie Piz Gloria
    Posts: 1,400
    Christopher Walken
  • Posts: 15,106
    Somehow, I think it is going to be him:
  • Posts: 15,106
    Birdleson wrote:
    Not specifically in response to any ideas that have come up before: I find that these iconic hero/villain roles (including Bond himself) tend to work best when a quality actor who I wouldn't normally have thought of in the role is chosen. One brings more of their own take than any preconceived vision of the character. I'd rather not go cookie cutter by choosing some one who either "looks the part" or has played similar characters in the past.

    I tend to agree with this. Maybe an actor known for his nice guy roles, playing fatherly figures, would work best. And I am not necessarily saying King Lear (who is the epitome of lousy father), but someone who often plays friendly characters.
  • How about George Lazenby? Barbara Broccoli has mentioned he wasn't treated fairly. She might consider the idea to use him although quite certainly he may pull off a Charles Gray at best. I just hope they redo OHMSS following the book like the original but doing it justice with a decent aequel. Would be good, OHMSS, for whoever takes over from DC...better be down-to-earth like the original. Perhaps Diana Rigg could play Irma Bunt. If Chris Nolan were to direct, he may make a good emphasis on Tracy being tortured and the drama of how Bond doesn't expect but must deal with the inevitable.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Any former Bond would be distracting, and Lazenby regardless of what he brought to the role and OHMSS is a rather limited actor. I don't see him as Blofeld. Diana Rigg is an amazing actress, she could play any role in her sleep, but she is now rather old and looks like a charming grandmother. Irma Bunt, if she is ever to show up, should be played by someone far uglier and fatter. Give the opportunity to an actress who does not have good looks. Come to think of it, it should be the case with Blofeld too.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    How about dear old Patrick Stewart?!
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    Having George Lazenby as Blofeld and Diana Rigg as Irma Bunt in Bond 24? Just tell me where to sign, because that's like the best cameo ever.

    I wouldn't mind if they did some kind of remake of OHMSS, but updating it and re-imagining the plot in order to differentiate it from Peter Hunt's movie, and then adapting (at least partially) the YOLT book for the following movie.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Dragonpol wrote:
    How about dear old Patrick Stewart?!

    Too old now. Too much like the spoofed Blofeld of old.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    Ludovico wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    How about dear old Patrick Stewart?!

    Too old now. Too much like the spoofed Blofeld of old.

    Yes, I was kind of just throwing it out there!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Another that is maybe too old, but who could nail it: Robert De Niro.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Too Robert de Niro. Blofeld is very difficult to cast, even if Fleming's original is only used broadly as model.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Ludovico wrote:
    Too Robert de Niro. Blofeld is very difficult to cast, even if Fleming's original is only used broadly as model.

    DeNiro has been typecast over the last 20 years, but has shown before that he can play anything. Loved him in Angel Heart.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Yes, but he is getting old now. And Angel Heart was not exactly last year.

    Years ago, Ian McShane would have been great, but he is way too old now.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Too old, yes. How about Peter Stormare? Only 60.
  • Posts: 15,106
    60 would be limit, as in he'd need to be cast as Blofeld NOW, for Bond 24. The name of Stormare is familiar, I need to remember what he did.

    An observation/hypothesis: judging at the way both Moneypenny and the new M were introduced, if Blofeld is too, I think there's a good chance he'll be in the background and not revealed as Blofeld until the end of Bond 24 (or 25, 26, whatever). So we might want to look at the smaller roles.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I would prefer to save Blo for the next Bond myself, but would not mind him showing up anytime soon either.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Part of me thinks Blofeld should only be introduced for Craig's successor, as a sort of "hook" or "fuel" for his tenure. Craig had Vesper and to a lesser degree Quantum for his, not to mention the reboot allowed him to have old characters reintroduced in a new light. His successor will not have this chance. Giving the new actor a nemesis would give him an angle.
  • Posts: 1,631
    I'd rather they leave Blofeld in the past and come up with something new for Craig and his successors to deal with.

    The only way that I think I'd be OK with bringing Blofeld back is if there was the promise that his arc would end with a faithful adaptation of You Only Live Twice. Outside of that, I don't think he should be brought back.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Well, since the movie YOLT barely had anything from the novel except the Japanese setting, it could most definitely happen.

    In lieu of Blofeld, they could use General Grubozaboischikov. That said, the General's name being a twist of tongue, I think if they want to give Bond a nemesis, they'll go for Blofeld.

    And I will make a bet here: if, for Bond 24, 25 or whichever, there is an unnamed villain only referred to by a title and/or a codename/nom de guerre (the Director, the Chairman, etc.), it will be revealed that he is Blofeld.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 618
    If he hasn't been suggested yet, I'll nominate James Faulkner...
    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269077/?ref_=tt_cl_t11

    He's currently playing a dual role on the cable TV series DA VINCI'S DEMONS, as the evil "Pope Sixtus" (an imposter) and the true pope, his twin brother, being held prisoner in a dungeon beneath the Vatican.

    Faulkner is an excellent baddie in the show, who uses his gravelly baritone to great effect. Each week on the show, when conferencing with his minions, I almost expect him to say, "Kill Bond... now!"

    (He also played the Swiss banker who is memorably threatened by Michael Fassbinder's Magneto in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.)
  • Posts: 15,106
    Faulkner is probably too old now though. Maybe he could play Blofeld for one movie, IF this movie was Bond 24.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited April 2014 Posts: 11,139
    edit.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Is age really a big deal here? I mean surely, any villain that looks about Bond's age or older can suffice as long as the story is appropriate and the implementation of having a useful and physically imposing henchman can still make things work nicely when paired with an older villain.

    I really would like to see Charles Dance take on a villainous role.
  • edited April 2014 Posts: 15,106
    It is important, if you want to be as close to the source material as possible: Blofeld must be sensibly older than Bond and be old enough to be pictured of a seasoned criminal/terrorist who gathered experience, resources and manpower over the years, yet young enough to have the stamina and strength to be a credible physical menace (as Fleming picture him as strong enough to take the much younger Bond). It is a very fine line. Too young, he is unbelievable, too old, he can't play the role for long (Judi Dench's age was at least part of the reasons M was replaced).
  • Posts: 1,971
    A bald Blofeld has become parody. Move on.
  • Posts: 15,106
    Well, not many here are advocating for a bald Blofeld, although some names were mentioned it seems only because of the actors' baldness.

    Going to see King Lear in a week. Will have a clearer idea about Simon Russell Beale, which I could already imagine as Blofeld.
  • Actually, I think the 'Austin Powers/Dr. Evil' factor becomes less and less relevant with each passing year. The last entry in the spoof series, GOLDMEMBER, was 12 years ago (it will be 13-14 years ago, when Bond 24 is finished), so is itself in the process of becoming a relic of a previous generation. It's a bit like thinking in 1981 that people won't take FYEO seriously, because of IN LIKE FLINT, Dean Martin as Matt Helm, GET SMART and CASINO ROYALE from 1967.

    Mike Meyers himself hasn't starred in anything non-animated in 6 years, and his last live-action vehicle, THE LOVE GURU, was a colossal flop, following the horror that was THE CAT IN THE HAT, which didn't make back its production/marketing budget . IMDB lists 'AUSTIN POWERS 4' as 'announced', but not even a projected release year. His hits still get some play, but they are becoming nostalgia, and the majority of younger viewers, whom the studios rely on for the bulk of ticket sales, eventually won't know and won't care.

    So, if Eon decides to resurrect Blofeld (which they may or may not, in the short term), bald or with a full head of hair, it probably won't matter. If they do bring him back, I doubt he'd be full-blown Donald Pleasance type from YOLT. He definitely wouldn't be short and squat in that specific light-gray jacket.

    Maybe he'd be bald, but with no white cat... or with short, cropped salt-and-pepper hair, and stroking a cat in one scene, as a historical nod to fans, but then cat-less for the duration... or in any number of other ways, possibly only 'Ernst Stavros Blofeld' in name only. However they present him, in the Craig era --and you just know they'd tinker with him, providing some new spin (good or bad) for a reboot-- he'd be a major badass, physically active and eventually fighting 007 one-on-one, like Telly Savalas did in OHMSS, so I think that itself would erase pretty much any residual danger of outright mockery from the majority of audiences, beyond the norm that any major blockbuster receives.
  • Posts: 15,106
    My bet is that he will be very close physically to the novels, if they ever use him.
  • TokolosheTokoloshe Under your bed
    Posts: 2,667
    Has anyone considered the possiblity of Blofeld being recast as a female character?

    This isn't as crazy as it sounds, because to me the biggest problem is that the original Blofeld has been parodied to death such that any villain with that name bearing a Nehru jacket and a white cat is out of the question for a future Bond film. However just taking a random villain and naming him Blofeld without any visible connection to previous incarnations will seem rather arbitrary - for example Dominic Greene could easily have been named 'Ernst Blofeld' with no other changes to the script.

    So an interesting way to get around this would be for the character to reappear as a female head of a criminal organisation, perhaps with a link to, say, her father?
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