Even though Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-nominated film Batman Begins with Christian Bale first appeared in cinemas almost twenty years ago, it continues to be praised even today. Warner Bros. had approached the director with the idea for a fourth movie, even though The Dark Knight Trilogy came to an end with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. According to sources, signing on for a fourth Dark Knight Movie might have netted Bale a tidy $50 million salary. But he declined it.
The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, in which Bale fought off two of the genre’s most iconic villains, Heath Ledger’s Joker and Tom Hardy’s Bane, are included in the list of the top ten highest-earning movies alongside 2012’s Avengers Assemble.
Christian Bale Could Receive $50m to Reprise His Role as Batman, but He Said NO
When Christian Bale played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s cult classic action movie Batman Begins in 2005, Bale was already one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Bale reprised his role as Batman in the 2008 movie The Dark Knight, in which Heath Ledger played the Joker, and in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. All three movies were well-received by critics, and a lot of fans opined out loud that Bale was the ideal choice to play the illustrious comic book character.
The audience adored Bale’s Caped Crusader in the Dark Knight Trilogy, which was a huge commercial success. WB wanted Nolan to create a fourth movie as well. Why else would they not?
Bale had a $50 million offer on the table. However, he stated that The Dark Knight Rises was his final appearance as a superhero. Regarding the future of the Batman film series, Bale made a straightforward answer, saying, “I enjoy anticipating what somebody else will come up with.”
As quoted in Beyond Batman: The Unauthorised True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma, an insider said:
“Why would Christian Bale walk away from what is certainly going to be either the first or second highest-grossing movie in the history of cinema? He could probably make 50 million dollars for being in the movie 20 minutes. And it would be worth every penny to the studio.”
There was no room for a fourth feature because Nolan had been emphatic about concluding The Dark Knight movie series as a trilogy from the beginning. And the American Hustle actor respects his choice to not move ahead with a new Batman movie.
Why He Would Never Come Back to the Franchise?
The Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan revolutionized the superhero movie genre, and its impact is still felt today. However, when given the chance to return for a fourth Batman film, both Nolan and star Christian Bale said ‘no’.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Christian Bale revealed that there were indeed talks of a fourth Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Bale as the Caped Crusader. Although according to the actor, those talks didn’t last very long.
In Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, Bale played Bruce Wayne/Batman. Later, Warner Bros. offered Bale a role in a fourth Batman picture, but he declined it out of respect for Nolan, who had always envisioned his story as a three-film series and nothing more.
Bale said:
“Chris had always said to me that if we were fortunate to be able to make three we would stop. ‘Let’s walk away after that,’ he said. Then when they inevitably came to us and said, ‘How about a No. 4?’ I said, ‘No. We have to stick to Chris’ dream, which was always to, hopefully, do a trilogy. Let’s not stretch too far and become overindulgent and go for a fourth.’ That’s why we, well Chris, stepped away. After that, I was informed my services were no longer required.”
The English actor has spoken about a potential return to the role and has named his condition for it. While speaking to ComicBook, Bale revealed that he would only return to action in a Batman film if the movie was helmed by Christopher Nolan again.
As Nolan said no, it doesn’t seem like the actor is going to be returning to the cape and cowl anytime soon.
Source: EW
