For years, rumors circulated that Christian Bale was apparently asked to reprise the role of caped crusader for Zack Snyder‘s DCEU. Although Bale himself would later go on to debunk these claims, adding that no one discussed this possibility, the 300 director recently revealed that he wasn’t completely against this prospect.
According to Snyder, had The Dark Knight Rises concluded with Bruce overlooking Gotham rather than retiring and shifting to Italy, there might have been room for the two universes to collide with Henry Cavill‘s BVS (via Happy Sad Confused).
I think if Bale had stayed, if it had ended with Christian Bale standing on a building overlooking Gotham silhouetted by the lights of Gotham, then there’s a that that’s a serious conversation there if he’s not in Italy, retired, drinking wine and relaxing. If he’s a current crime fighter, then I think those universes could have mixed.
That said, Snyder corroborated Bale’s remarks, confirming that no serious conversations about his return to the DCEU ever took place.
MovieIMDb Tomatometer | PopcornmeterBatman Begins8.285% | 94%The Dark Knight9.194% | 94%The Dark Knight Rises8.487% | 90%
Christian Bale’s Batman Wouldn’t Have Worked for Zack Snyder’s DCEU
Even if Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder had seriously considered bringing Bale back for the DCEU, it’s hard to imagine it materializing. Christopher Nolan’s Gotham and his Caped Crusader were deliberately mapped within a heavily grounded and realistic world, one far removed from the more fantastical DCEU.
Ben Affleck’s Batman, for all his flaws, felt like a version who could believably go toe-to-toe with Superman. Bale’s interpretation, on the flip side, while layered, was never designed to be comic-book accurate. It also helps explain why Bale wouldn’t have entertained a return without Nolan, as from the get-go, the duo were adamant about doing a trilogy rather than lingering around for too long (via Screen Rant).
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.” 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.
Given Bale’s stature as an actor, it’s not surprising to see why WB didn’t even bother to convince him to reprise the role without Nolan, as it’s hard to imagine Bale remaining tied to a cinematic universe for over a decade.
Christian Bale Was Originally Considered For DCEU’s The Flash
While the discourse surrounding Bale’s potential return as the primary Caped Crusader of the DCEU never took off, WB reportedly attempted to incorporate The Dark Knight star in The Flash.
A still from The Flash | Credit: WB
According to Kevin Smith, WB was persistent in bringing him on board for the movie, which was billed as the reset point for the DCEU. Bale, however, reportedly had zero interest in reprising the role. Had WB succeeded in getting him on board, Smith revealed we would’ve witnessed Bale in the ending moments of The Flash rather than George Clooney.
Warner Bros. asked Christian Bale for months and months hoping he would break down and he was like ‘no.’ So [Warner Bros.] was like, ‘let’s pivot, let’s get another Batman,’ and they just grabbed George Clooney.
In the end, not bringing Bale into the mix was undoubtedly the right decision, as, unlike The Dark Knight trilogy, arguably the greatest CBM trilogy of all time, Snyder’s DCEU was riddled with issues throughout its polarizing run.
Would you have preferred Bale in Zack Snyder’s DCEU? Comment below!
The Dark Knight trilogy is streaming on HBO Max (USA).
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