Christian Bale Would Star in Fourth ‘Dark Knight’ Film, but Only If Christopher Nolan Directs
Samantha Bergeson
Sorry Matt Reeves: There may be a conflicting Batman movie up ahead.
A decade after Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight” trilogy redefined the superhero genre (and won an Academy Award for Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker) and lead star Christian Bale is hoping for a possible return to the DC franchise.
“I had a pact with Chris Nolan,” Bale told Screen Rant about the trilogy, which concluded in 2012. “We said, ‘Hey, look. Let’s make three films, if we’re lucky enough to get to do that. And then let’s walk away. Let’s not linger too long.’ In my mind, it would be something if Chris Nolan ever said to himself, ‘You know what, I’ve got another story to tell.’ And if he wished to tell that story with me, I’d be in.”
Nolan’s trilogy began with “Batman Begins” in 2005, followed by “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” which both grossed over $1 billion worldwide. However, Bale confirmed that a fourth installment hasn’t been discussed yet.
“No one’s ever mentioned it to me. No one’s brought it up,” Bale said about reprising the role of Bruce Wayne. “Occasionally people say to me, ‘Oh, I hear you were approached and offered all this.” And I’m like, ‘That’s news to me. No one’s ever said that.'”
Bale previously told the Toronto Sun in 2019 that he turned down a possible fourth film to “stick to [Nolan’s] dream” of a trilogy and not “become over-indulgent.” Since Bale exited the Caped Crusader role, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson have both donned the batsuit. And while Bale still hasn’t seen Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” a sequel is already in the works as confirmed by Warner Bros.
Bale is currently starring in “Thor: Love and Thunder,” marking his Marvel debut in his first superhero IP installment since Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy. However, Bale didn’t even know he was entering the MCU with the Taika Waititi film.
“That didn’t even enter into my head at all,” Bale recently said. “I’d read that, and people would go, ‘Oh, look at this! He’s entered the MCU!‘ And I’d go, ‘I’ve done what? I haven’t entered shit, thank you very much.’ I’m like, ‘The MCU?’ I had to ask what that was.”
As Gorr the God Butcher post-Batman, Bale had another bat in mind: “There’s obviously sort of a Nosferatu slight attitude,” Bale said of his “Thor” villain character.
The Oscar winner continued, “You sort of go, ‘I know what he does.’ It’s right there in the name, isn’t it? But I did make the mistake of Googling him and, oh no! [In the comics] he runs around in a G-string all the time. And I thought, ‘They don’t have the right man for that!’ And then Taika quickly dispelled any notions of running around in that. But I always did think what he could do with this in front of a bluescreen – he could chuck on whatever he wants later on.”
