Nolan bound: Christian Bale says he will return as Batman on only one condition

With news of Michael Keaton’s imminent return as Batman to the DC Extended Universe via The Flash and Batgirl, Christian Bale was asked in an interview with Screen Rant if he was interested in reviving the Bruce Wayne within.

In response, the Oscar-winning actor clarified that there are no ongoing discussions with DC or Warner Bros, who produced The Dark Knight trilogy from 2005 to 2012. “No one’s ever mentioned it to me. No one’s brought it up,” Bale shared. “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.'”
Bale, albeit, has also replaced his cape and cowl for Marvel’s villainous, black goo-spewing Gorr the God Butcher in July’s Thor: Love and Thunder.

The actor does feels there is one scenario, under which he may consider going back to DC. “I had a pact with [director] Chris Nolan. We said, ‘Hey, look. Let’s make three films and if we’re lucky enough to get to do that, 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.”

But Bale’s condition is easier said than done. As per Yahoo Entertainment, not only is Nolan busy gathering an army of movie stars for his upcoming historical drama Oppenheimer, but in late 2020, he cut ties with Warner Bros following the decision to release their entire 2021 slate on their streaming service HBO Max.

During an acrimonious departure, Nolan had said, “Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service.”

But neither Bale’s condition nor Nolan’s broken ties with Warner Bros can cease fans from demanding a reunion between the Caped Crusader and Bale, who had polled as America’s favourite Batman, alongside nabbing the top two spots on Consequence’s ranking of every Batman film. Despite the resounding success of Robert Pattinson portrayal in The Batman, someone at DC or Warner Bros will have to switch on the Bat Signal to summon Gotham’s Finest.