Christian Bale played DC's Caped Crusader in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, though rumours have persisted ever since that he might reprise the role. We once heard that Warner Bros. had approached the actor about starring in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, while there have even been claims lately that Bale could appear in The Flash.
We don't see that happening, and during an interview with Screen Rant about Thor: Love and Thunder, Bale addressed the question of whether he's been asked to return as Batman.
"No. No one's ever mentioned it to me. No one's brought it up," he confirmed. "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.'"
"I had a pact with Chris Nolan. 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,'" Bale continued. "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 has never really expressed much interest in returning to the DC Universe, so chances are Bale won't be suiting up again. The Dark Knight Rises ended Bruce Wayne's story in a pretty definitive fashion, so there's arguably no real need to revisit that version of Gotham City.
In a separate interview with Variety, Bale was asked if he's watched The Batman yet. While he admitted that he hasn't, the actor said he hopes to eventually see what Robert Pattinson brought to the role in Matt Reeves' critically acclaimed blockbuster.
"I will see it. Listen, mate, it's amazing how few films I see. Every director I work with, I've seen a couple of their films and they're always looking at me going, 'Are you kidding?' I like to really savour films and I don't watch too many," he explained. "But I will, I certainly will. Robert is an absolutely wonderful actor. We bumped into each other, talked a little bit about it ahead of time, and I heard wonderful things."
For now, Bale is busy doing the rounds to promote his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher. That role is a million miles from Batman, and one that's been generating a lot of positive buzz since critics first got to see the blockbuster last week. The Dark Knight may be in his rearview, but who knows, it's always possible he could return to the DC Universe in another role!
Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8.