Christian Bale reveals he will 'return to Batman if Christopher Nolan has another story'

Christian Bale is credited for bringing one of the most nuanced portrayals of Batman on screen, and the Hollywood star says he has no qualms about reprising the role of the Caped Crusader if director Christopher Nolan proposes an idea. 

Bale, the star of Nolan's critically-acclaimed Batman Trilogy-- "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" , said he has never been approached by any other filmmaker to play the popular DC comic book character. 

"No. No one's ever mentioned it to me. No one's brought it up. 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," the actor told Screen Rant when asked about reprising Batman. 

"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," Bale added.

"Batman Begins" raised USD 373 million upon its release in 2005, while 2008's "The Dark Knight" and 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises" both collected over USD 1 billion at the worldwide box office. 

Post Bale, Hollywood star Ben Affleck came on board to play Batman in the Warner Bros movies but was replaced by British star Robert Pattinson, who essayed the character in the latest "The Batman" standalone film directed by Matt Reeves. 

Bale will next be seen in Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder". The Taika Waititi directorial also features Hollywood stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Russell Crowe.

Christian Bale's upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder will release on July 7, and will see Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson and others taking on pivotal roles. He will be seen playing the terrifying villain Gorr and fans can't wait to see what the film has in store for them.

Image: AP