I don’t know about the rest of you, but Christian Bale is my favorite Batman. And if I were to pick my second favorite Batman, it would have to be Ben Affleck. Yes, I am only referring to the live-action Batmen, so I’m not counting Kevin Conroy. There are probably a lot of Michael Keaton fans out there who will be wanting to shout at me right now, but hey, that’s what happens when you have so many Batman actors. As someone who grew up in the early 2000s and got to see Batman Begins as a kid back in 2005, the whole Dark Knight trilogy has a special place in my superhero-loving heart.
What Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale did with the character and their trilogy will forever be a part of Batman’s legacy. And this sounds like a broken record, but it’s just so hard to argue that The Dark Knight is not one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. It is. End of story. In fact, I’ll go even further and say that it is one of the greatest movies ever made. That’s right, not just for the superhero category, but for all movies. A bold claim indeed, but I have a strong feeling many fans will agree with me.
Now of course, the argument of who is the greatest Batman is one that all Batman fans will debate about for years to come. Many will argue that it’s Michael Keaton and others could even say that it’s Adam West. There’s no right or wrong answer, because it’s all a matter of opinion. But in this case, that opinion would have to be determined by which Batman speaks to you the most in such a manner that will make you remember him. For Christian Bale, he’s my childhood Batman and it was the first time we got to see the journey of how Bruce Wayne actually became the Dark Knight. Hence, Batman Begins.
If you ask me, Christian Bale’s run on Batman ended quite well in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Unlike so many other Batman stories, he actually got to peacefully retire from the mantle and be remembered as a martyr. In this case, we might not get to see an older Christian Bale put the cape and cowl back on for a Dark Knight Returns scenario. The Dark Knight Rises was basically another version of that adaptation, so there’s probably no reason to follow up on it. Plus, he passed the torch down to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Robin. It was implied that Gotham City will still have a Dark Knight, but not Bruce Wayne.
So would that warrant an idea for a sequel? Probably not, especially since Christopher Nolan always intended his Batman story to be just a trilogy. On top of that, Christian Bale himself has said several times that he has no interest in returning to the role. And he honestly has no reason to. He had a great run on the character and ended it with a satisfying conclusion. But I must admit, I wouldn’t say no to another Christian Bale Batman movie. And if I can’t get another movie, then I’ll take an appearance from him in another movie.
I could be in the minority on that one, but it’s hard to let go of my favorite live-action Batman. The chances of Christian Bale actually coming back to play Batman again are slim. He did say he was done with superhero movies, but of course, we all know he’s playing a Marvel villain in Thor: Love and Thunder. He looks awesome as Gorr the God Butcher and his debut is just right around the corner. If he can play a great superhero, I have no doubt he can play a great supervillain. But hold on, what about his past role as one of America’s greatest superheroes? Well, unsurprisingly enough, Christian Bale was asked about it while doing press for Love and Thunder and his response raised some eyebrows.
In short, Christian Bale will return to play Batman again, but under one condition. That condition involves the great Christopher Nolan himself and his presence for another Batman movie. Oh yes, if Christopher Nolan decides to direct another Batman movie, Christian Bale will return. Sounds like a plan, right? Maybe, but it’s only the question if Christopher Nolan will want to direct another Batman movie. While doing the press, Christian Bale did reaffirm that Christopher Nolan did intend for the Dark Knight trilogy to be just a trilogy.
So no, maybe don’t count on a sequel to The Dark Knight Rises. And we should all remember that Christopher Nolan did burn some bridges with Warner Bros. after the whole Tenet situation. He was quite vocal about that, brutally so, but then again, Warner Bros. is under new management now. It is quite possible that the director can rebuild those bridges with David Zaslav, the new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. David Zaslav appears to cleaning house of all the dead weight from the old Warner Bros. and rebuilding it in his image. And so far, he has shown no signs of slowing down.
Can he keep going? A good way to do that is to give Christopher Nolan a call and see if he can work things out with him. I have a good feeling Zaslav can get Nolan back on board with his new Warner Bros. and if he does, another Dark Knight movie can be on the table. Who knows what kind of idea he can come up with to continue the trilogy, but he undoubtedly needs Christian Bale. Heck, he doesn’t even need Christian Bale to be the star of it. I’ll take a movie about Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Robin where Christian Bale has a supporting role as an aging Bruce Wayne.
Does that sound like a good idea that warrants for another Dark Knight movie? Hey, if it has Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale involved, I’ll take it. But if that doesn’t happen, let’s just keep in mind that the latter will be both a DC superhero and a Marvel supervillain. Now that is a legacy any actor should be proud of. All the more reason to appreciate the stellar career of Christian Bale.
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