007’s nemesis from Spectre has been spotted at Pinewood Studios in London, where the latest James Bond movie is being shot

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The much-rumoured return of Christoph Waltz’s Blofeld to the James Bond series appears to have been confirmed after the actor was spotted at the studio where the latest film is being shot.

A visitor to Pinewood Studios tipped off the Daily Mail’s entertainment reporter Baz Bamigboye to the sighting, reporting that Waltz urged them not to spread news of his involvement, saying: “You haven’t seen me.”

Baz Bamigboye (@BazBam) Exclusive:Hello Mr Waltz... we’ve been expecting you.#ChristophWaltz is back as #Blofeld in ⁦@007⁩ #Bond25 , shooting scenes at Pinewood studios . When a visitor spotted him , Waltz insisted , “You haven’t seen me.” pic.twitter.com/g1X91cEJbf

Waltz’s name was absent from the cast list unveiled in April when shooting began in Jamaica, but it had long been suspected that his cat-stroking supervillain – confirmed alive after a helicopter crash at the end of 2015’s Spectre – would reappear in the new film, scheduled for release in April 2020.

However, it would seem Blofeld takes more of a backseat in Cary Fukunaga’s thriller, with Rami Malek’s baddie taking centre stage. Last month Malek, whose parents are Egyptian, said he would have refused to take the role if his character was involved in any religiously motivated terrorism.

The plot of the film is said to follow an arc first presented in Daniel Craig’s debut as 007, Casino Royale (2006), and to involve genetic engineering.

Waltz is also set to play the lead in the new Woody Allen film, for which principal photography is about to begin in Spain. The actor was absent from a pre-production press conference on Tuesday.