Christian Bale has never been one to shy away from sharing what’s on his mind. He might withhold information, but when asked recently about donning the cape and cowl again to appear in a future Justice League film, the actor didn’t appear to dodge the question.
Rumors have been flying around since last summer that Christian Bale would play Batman again and join up with Henry Cavill as Superman and other DC Comics superheroes to take on threats too large for one superhero alone to handle. Even though Bane’s Bruce Wayne appeared to retire from crime-fighting at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, he’s still very much alive and kicking — in Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe.
When prodded by Entertainment Weekly in a new interview about the prospect of returning to the Batman role, Bale was quick to deep six that notion. “We were incredibly fortunate to get to make three,” Bale responded. “That’s enough. Let’s not get greedy.”
His words seem geared toward Gotham City and Christopher Nolan, not the Justice League To that Bale offered this, “I have no information, no knowledge about anything. I’ve literally not had a conversation with a living soul. I understand that they may be making a Justice League movie, that’s it.”
It’s important to note that while Bale is quick to dismiss his participation in any Nolan Batman film, he doesn’t do so to the idea of appearing in a Justice League film. It’s one thing to not have been approached about the future project yet. It’s another to turn down a potential Robert Downey Jr. truck full of cash when the offer is put on the table.
With Man of Steel soaring right past the $500 million mark at the worldwide box office and continuing to climb, it’s only a matter of time before Warner Bros., Snyder and Nolan expand that universe to bring other superheroes into the fold. The existence of Bruce Wayne was already confirmed in Man of Steel with a Wayne Enterprises satellite. He’s out there, somewhere.
I refuse to take Christian Bale’s name out of the hat for Batman in Justice League until someone else is officially cast in the role.
