Michael Sheen Won't Terrorize 007 in 'Bond 23'

I was rather looking forward to this, but that hardly matters now. Michael Sheen, who has become one of the more in-demand actors in the past year or so, will not play Ernst Blofeld in the next James Bond movie, which I suspect will be out in two years. The rumor started this summer and it certainly made some sense, at least as far as a new Blofeld goes. Of course, there's no indication the producers of the franchise want to go down that familiar road with 007 and a lot of indications that the Quantum storyline, which includes the baddies from both Daniel Craig films, will at least expand into a more traditional trilogy. Introducing Blofeld into that group of shadowy yet connected international villains is probably not that hard to do but there is something to be said for rebooting the iconic character and then not relying on those elements of his past we actually might like to see. There are no gadgets to speak of, and that's working out well, and especially on the heels of Quantum of Solace - clearly not as well-received as Casino Royale - digging up an old bad guy might seem like a desperate move. I still prefer to think the new start for Bond is far from desperate. Sheen's next villainous role is in New Moon, probably a considerable step down in terms of character development, but the payday's good: $7 million. And given the films he's made where he's in the shadow of Oscar-nominated (Frank Langella) or Oscar-winning (Helen Mirren) greatness, I'm glad he's got a big check for a change. He deserves it.