Warner Bros. Wanted A Sequel To THE DARK KNIGHT RISES According To Star Christian Bale

In a new interview, Ford v. Ferrari star Christian Bale reveals that Warner Bros. approached him for a fourth appearance as the Caped Crusader following the release of The Dark Knight Rises. Check it out!

By JoshWilding - Nov 18, 2019 12:11 PM EST

Filed Under: The Dark Knight

Christian Bale has recently been doing the rounds to promote Ford v. Ferrari, and the subject of Batman came up yet again. This time, rather than being asked about Robert Pattinson's version of the Caped Crusader, Toronto Sun asked about his time playing the character in The Dark Knight Trilogy.

"When they came and said, ‘You want to go make [a second film]?’ It was fantastic, but we still said, ‘This is it. We will not get another opportunity,'" Bale said about his time as Bruce Wayne. "Then they came and they said, ‘OK, let’s do the third one.’ 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."

It was then that Bale revealed that Warner Bros. approached him for a fourth appearance as Batman despite the fact that The Dark Knight Rises had a definitive conclusion. "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.'"

At the time, it was rumoured that the studio wanted Bale to reprise the role in what would become Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and while we don't know whether this is what that fourth movie would have been, it's hard to not to think about the prospect of Bale's version of The Dark Knight facing off with The Man of Steel.

What do you guys think?

Hit the "View List" button for a reminder of the actors who
have been confirmed to appear in Matt Reeves' The Batman!

Batman - Robert Pattinson

British actor Robert Pattinson may be best known for starring in the Twilight movies but things have changed a lot for him since then. After delivering critically acclaimed performances in movies like The Lighthouse and The King this year, he's currently shooting Christopher Nolan's new film Tenet.

Pattinson is already in training for The Batman, and he's been doing his comic book research too.

Not much is known about his take on the Caped Crusader beyond the fact that he will be portrayed as the World's Greatest Detective, but Pattinson has seen the suit and promises that it's "cool."

Catwoman - Zoë Kravitz

Zoë Kravitz is definitely an unexpected choice to play Selina Kyle, but she's an extremely talented actress who has impressed in big budget blockbusters like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Mad Max: Fury Road as well as critically acclaimed fare such as Big Little Lies.

Kravitz has a unique look which should fit Catwoman down to a tee, and while we have no idea whether this movie will serve as an origin story for her as well, that costume reveal promises to break the internet as it's been a long time since we've seen a comic accurate Selina!

Alfred Pennyworth - Andy Serkis

It was only last night that we learned Andy Serkis is in talks to play Alfred Pennyworth, and while this is definitely an unconventional casting decision on Reeves' part, it's also one which is downright excellent. With a younger Batman, the movie also needs a younger Alfred, and it's easy to imagine Serkis bringing a unique charm and flare to his version of the iconic butler.

The dynamic between Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons was enjoyable but a tad dry, and there was obviously a lot of emotion involved with Christian Bale and Michael Caine. With Serkis, you have to believe he'll have a lot more fun with the character and that hopefully means we can expect a relationship similar to the one in Scott Snyder's Batman run, or even Batman: Earth One.

As well as his many mo-cap performances in franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes, Serkis also impressed as the villainous Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther last year.

The Riddler - Paul Dano

Paul Dano is one of those actors you probably never expected to see in a superhero movie, especially after his acclaimed performances in very serious dramas like 12 Years a Slave, War & Peace, and Escape at Dannemora. However, Reeves has clearly sold him on the idea because he's joined The Batman as its lead villain, The Riddler.

That's right, reliable sources have indeed indicated that the Dark Knight's main foe here will be Edward Nashton, a fitting choice seeing as this is meant to be a classic detective's tale.

Fans have been crying out for a new take on The Riddler for years now, and it's easy to imagine Dano delivering a complex and exciting performance which puts the villain on the map.

The Penguin - Colin Farrell

Another casting addition made just last night, it's interesting that Reeves went from eyeing Jonah Hill for the role of The Penguin to Dumbo and Fantatsic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Colin Farrell. A major comic book movie role for the Irish actor is long overdue at this point, and while he may not look like the classic Oswald Cobblepot, that's no reason to worry.

He may end up donning prosthetics, but The Penguin doesn't have to be a portly man in order to be an effective villain, something Telltale's Batman video game and Gotham proved. Farrell is great at playing the bad guy, and seeing him match wits with Pattinson's Caped Crusader as Gotham City's crime lord promises to be a potential highlight in The Batman.

Commissioner Gordon - Jeffrey Wright

Some comic book fans respond poorly when a character is race-swapped, but everyone can agree that Westworld's Jeffrey Wright is a phenomenal actor who will definitely do Jim Gordon justice.

It's a shame that we won't get to see more of J.K. Simmons' version of the character after his brief appearance in Justice League, but this is a bold casting decision on Reeves' part and seeing how this Gordon differs to past takes (not to mention his dynamic with Pattinson's Batman) should be a lot of fun.

Two-Face

According to the trades, Harvey Dent is the next major character Reeves is looking to cast for The Batman and one actor from Succession has already passed on the role. Seeing as we're getting a younger Bruce Wayne here, don't be surprised if we meet Harvey as the District Attorney before he becomes Ta Two-Faced thorn in the character's side a little further down the line.

Mad Hatter

According to reports earlier this year, Mad Hatter will also have a role to play in the movie and Reeves is hoping to nab an actor between the ages of 40 and 50 to play this particular villain. We've heard no casting news as of yet, but it's been said that Batman will come across a number of rogues in this film, so a minor baddie like this appearing at some point definitely makes sense.

Firefly

Another bad guy mentioned in the same casting breakdown that revealed the role of characters like Catwoman, The Riddler, and The Penguin, Reeves reportedly wants a male actor between the ages of 20 and 30 of any ethnicity, and we can safely assume that he'll be a henchmen or someone Batman quickly deals with. He's a minor villain, but one who would make for a cool fight scene.

What About The Joker?

The Joker has been done to death on the big screen at this poin,t and with Joaquin Phoenix's take on the Clown Prince of Crime receiving rave reviews, it would definitely be interesting to see what Reeves would do with another fresh take on the iconic villain. He needs to exist in this world, but something tells us he'll only receive a mention as there's been no indication he'll appear, sadly!

What do you guys think about The Batman's cast so far? Let us know in the comments section and keep checking back here as we continue to update this breakdown of actors/characters!

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