Christian Bale Looks Back On Discovering The Caped Crusader Through 'Batman: Year One'

Christian Bale Looks Back On Discovering The Caped Crusader Through 'Batman: Year One'

The Dark Knight Rises star comments briefly on shooting the movie in New York and stepping away from franchise movies, as well as the comic book which made him realise that there was a lot more to Batman than he initially realised.

By JoshWilding - Jan 23, 2012 11:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman
Source: New York Daily News



"I’m sure George Washington could never have imagined," Christian Bale told the New York Daily News of filming The Dark Knight Rises on the steps of the Federal Hall in Manhattan near where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States. "And I apologize to him, because it probably should have never happened."

If you were hoping that the actor would jump on board another franchise (superhero or otherwise) it looks like you may be in for disappointment. "We need different rhythms in our life, don’t we, and to me it would be the wrong rhythm to jump into a franchise at this point. For now, no, I’d be looking for new experiences."

"I wasn’t a 12-year-old that gave a damn about comics," he added when talk returned to Batman. "I had never been someone into comic books, it just didn’t interest me. It wasn’t my thing." In fact, it wasn't until he read Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One that he realised that Bruce Wayne was far more complex a character than he'd imagined. "Suddenly, I found Batman has so many issues, he’s not a healthy individual, this is somebody that is doing good, but he’s right on the verge of doing bad. He’s got that killer within him that he’s desperately not trying to let off his leash. And that’s what I always return to."

STARRING:

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Michael Caine as Alfred
Gary Oldman as Commissioner Jim Gordon
Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox
Tom Hardy as Bane
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake
Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate
Josh Pence as Ra's Al Ghul

RELEASE DATE: July 20th, 2012


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RocketMadnessBoss
RocketMadnessBoss - 1/23/2012, 12:05 PM
Oh, Bale. How I loveth thee. Can't wait to see The Dark Knight Rises!
DudeGuy
DudeGuy - 1/23/2012, 12:22 PM
Bales the man
StrangerX
StrangerX - 1/23/2012, 12:30 PM
Year One was ok. So far Under the Red Hood and All Star Superman have been the best animated movies from DC.
thewonderer
thewonderer - 1/23/2012, 12:33 PM
Bale is a great guy. Without a doubt, best Batman and Wayne. Best thing about his Batman? HE DOESN'T KILL. Wish you the best of luck Bale in future projects.

I recently saw 3:10 to Yuma and Bale really is a great actor. He is so underrated and people hate on him for reasons I can't understand

Anyway @barnebeejones I LOVE Cranton, but Oldman is definitely Gordon in my eyes
mr2324jgf
mr2324jgf - 1/23/2012, 12:34 PM
Great article... if I may make one suggestion though..use spell-check. It's "realize", with a "z".
Niuhll
Niuhll - 1/23/2012, 12:38 PM
@mr2324jgf Depends on which country you are in. It's spelt right for me.
antonio
antonio - 1/23/2012, 12:42 PM
Best Batman/Bruce Wayne.
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/23/2012, 12:43 PM
batman under the red hood was better than batman year one.

gary oldman as commissioner jim gordon is the only great casting in nolan's trilogy.
Bobbywoodhogan
Bobbywoodhogan - 1/23/2012, 12:45 PM
Batman Year One's my favourite Batman story ever
TheBigBoss917
TheBigBoss917 - 1/23/2012, 12:48 PM
Cant believe that the first couple of comments first talk about the animated movie and not the graphic novel
MarkJulian
MarkJulian - 1/23/2012, 12:56 PM
Josh is British so it's realise there.
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/23/2012, 1:06 PM
@ xXkryptoniteXx

why because i think gary oldman is the only great casting,bale is a good bruce wayne but just an alright batman.

he's got the look & body for batman but its ruined for me with the stupid throat cancer voice.
MrReese
MrReese - 1/23/2012, 1:19 PM
Bale = Bad Ass!
valeriesghost
valeriesghost - 1/23/2012, 1:25 PM
@nomis Killing Joke :)
thewonderer
thewonderer - 1/23/2012, 1:30 PM
@marvel

Bale didn't do the voice, that was edited by Nolan

Either way its only bad if you LET it be bad in your head. Common culture has led you to believe that a gruff voice is ridiculous. Stop adhering to peer pressure, the voice most of the time is quite excellent (Though a FEW times, it is a tad overdone)

Bales an excellent Wayne and an even more excellent Batman
AsianVersionOfET
AsianVersionOfET - 1/23/2012, 1:36 PM
Bale is the best Batman/Bruce Wayne to date. And no, that's not just my opinion, it's a God-given fact.
Fogs
Fogs - 1/23/2012, 1:37 PM
Nice words.

@tea - agreed about the lack of physicality of the character onscreen.
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/23/2012, 1:42 PM
CaptainAmerica31
CaptainAmerica31 - 1/23/2012, 1:47 PM
Is he talking about the occupy wall street?
AsianVersionOfET
AsianVersionOfET - 1/23/2012, 1:49 PM
@marvel72, uhh yeah, that video completely proves Christian Bale is the best, and Michael Keaton is a retarded midget of a Batman. Thanks for the clarification!
AsianVersionOfET
AsianVersionOfET - 1/23/2012, 1:56 PM
@teabag, your video even FURTHER proves my point! Thanks!
antonio
antonio - 1/23/2012, 2:09 PM
#promo images
antonio
antonio - 1/23/2012, 2:13 PM
WTF? I just refreshed the page ans my original comment is no longer there. >:(

@tea that is something we all can agree on. Bale is boss.
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/23/2012, 2:16 PM
bale is a better actor than keaton but not a better batman,as i said he looks the part but that is it but overall performance keaton wins.
ElDarkside
ElDarkside - 1/23/2012, 2:24 PM
Under the Red Hood is better for me, but Year One was also a good story.

As for bale's batman voice...It may be a little over the top, but in order to not sound like Bruce Wayne, he must change his voice.

Add to that the scaryness of some scenes with Bale doing the voice really make you fear batman...SWEAR TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
Supes17
Supes17 - 1/23/2012, 2:32 PM
I prefer Bale, but u cant deny the fantastic job Keaton did as Batman.
mainstream05
mainstream05 - 1/23/2012, 4:21 PM
Wait, so what was Terminator Salvation all about?
OptimusBurgundyMaximus
OptimusBurgundyMaximus - 1/23/2012, 5:25 PM
the point of batman is that hes supposed to Instill fear in the enemy

"DO I LOOK A COP TO YOU" Bale looked beasty in that suit



Skip to 0:09

Tell me you wana fight that guy

Keaton looked stumpy as batman he could barely turn properly LMAO!
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