Bond villain Blofeld could return to Bond

Famous Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld could appear in future 007 films now that a long-running legal dispute has been settled, BBC News reported.

Kevin McClory, who came up with the story for Thunderball with Ian Fleming, had been locked in a battle over Bond rights since 1959.

McClory, and later his estate, asserted he had created the Blofeld character.

Now film studio MGM and Bond film company Danjaq have acquired all the rights from McClory's estate.

A joint statement from the three parties involved said the deal brought "to an amicable conclusion the legal and business disputes that have arisen periodically over 50 years".

The agreement means that Bond producers are clear to use the Blofeld character again if they wish.

Blofeld's face was often concealed in the films as the camera focused on him stroking his white cat.

The character has appeared in six official Bond films - From Russia with Love (1963), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and For Your Eyes Only (1981), as well as McClory's Never Say Never Again (1983).

He has been played by Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray and Max von Sydow.

The dispute began when McClory worked on the script for Thunderball, which first introduced the character of Blofield.

It was then used by Fleming to form the basis for his novel of the same name.

But McClory and another scriptwriter, Jack Whittingham, were unaware the novel was being published and were not credited.

This led them to sue Fleming successfully in 1963.