Holy franchise jumping, Batman! Christian Bale is reportedly in talks to join the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder.
Collider has it that the former Batman actor is eyeing a return to comic book movies. Bale played America’s favorite version of the Caped Crusader in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, last putting on the cowl for 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. If he indeed signs on to Thor 4, he’ll be hopping from DC Comics’ most popular franchise to the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bale would be joining returning stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tessa Thompson (the confirmed queer King of Asgard, Valkyrie), and Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), the latter of whom will pick up the hammer as the Goddess of Thunder. Taika Waititi is back as writer-director after revitalizing the Thor franchise with Ragnarok in 2017. (And yes, Waititi’s fan-favorite Korg will also return).
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Marvel had no comments on the rumor, and Bale’s possible role is not yet known. Thor: Love and Thunder is set to strike into theaters on November 5th, 2021.
In a funny side-note, Bale’s co-star in the award season-contender Ford v Ferrari, Matt Damon, cameoed in Ragnarok as an Asgardian actor playing Loki in a play. With the MCU’s continued dominance of blockbuster cinema, it all comes back to Marvel eventually.
Meanwhile, DC and Warner Bros. just recently began filming their noir reboot of the Batman series, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, in London. That film stars Robert Pattinson as the titular hero, with an all-star cast that includes Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Peter Sarsgaard in an unspecified role rumored to be Two-Face. The movie is set to open three months before Thor 4 on June 25th, 2021.