While Christian Bale‘s time as a superhero in the cinematic medium wasn’t exactly short-lived, the actor is soon making a return to the game through Thor: Love and Thunder, where he’ll play the main villain Gorr, the God Butcher.
As for whether he’s given up the mantle of the Caped Crusader for good, it seems that Bale wouldn’t be strictly opposed to the idea of returning, but only if Christopher Nolan has an amazing story to tell. According to what the actor recently told ScreenRant, the two of them made a pact when they started their journey, that they would only make three movies if given the chance and “not linger too much.”
“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.’ 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.”
Nolan must have definitely pondered ideas for a fourth installment at some point, even though The Dark Knight Rises was a pretty conclusive way to end the story, as far as endings go. But the director has since developed four movies that had nothing to do with the superhero genre, so given the fact that it’s been more than a decade, perhaps Nolan might entertain a return. If he should, it’s heartwarming to learn that Bale wouldn’t be too far behind in joining him.
For now, we’ll have Bale’s creepy MCU godslayer to look forward to in Love and Thunder when it premieres on July 8.