Christian Bale could earn $50m for playing Batman Again

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] new rumour is circulating online that Christian Bale could get a hefty fifty million dollar fee if he decided to play Batman again in Man of Steel 2. According to the UK Press Association the rumour came from an e-book called Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story Of Christian Bale And His Dark Dilemma.

The author Vincent Russel claims the information was divulged to him during a 2012 New Year’s Eve chat he had with a studio executive from Legendary Pictures. The two talked about the upcoming Justice League film which, if released, would be a DC comics version of The Avengers. In the Justice League comic book Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are all members of the team; having all those heroes together in one film could be a big hit for DC comics. Other Justice League members like The Flash and Martian Manhunter would also be introduced to cinema audiences via the film. According to Russel, the executive basically stated that Bale could easily get $50m if he was willing to reprise the role of Batman for the next wave of DC films.

It’s an interesting rumour, as it is obvious Warner Bros would love Bale to play Batman again. The actor is successful, popular and probably the best known movie version of the character. Talk of a film starring both Batman and Superman has also been spreading across the internet for a while now too. It seems highly likely that a film starring both heroes will emerge at some stage in the future.

The best known comic book featuring both heroes is Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. In that story, which is one of the most popular Batman graphic novels, an older Batman comes out of retirement to fight gangs trying to take over the city. Bats recruits a new Robin who is a female teenager and The Joker is catatonic in a mental asylum. Superman is a pawn of the US government and is sent to take care of Batman who has become a fugitive because of his vigilante antics. Jim Gordon is no longer the police commissioner and is not able to get the police to work with Batman. The graphic novel culminates in a punch up between Batman and Superman which has a suitably dramatic conclusion. Apparently sales of the graphic novel have increased significantly since the release of Man of Steel. Hollywood studios are now starting to see how popular a film with both Superman and Batman would be.

Bale has made it clear he is done with the role and is happy to let another actor take over, however if a big enough price tag is offered maybe he would change his mind. It would be strange to see the actor back in the cowl after the events that took place in The Dark Knight trilogy. Bale’s Batman was a character from Christopher Nolan’s more realistic version of Gotham City; he came from a world where there were no superheroes with special powers. Shoving that character into a world with Superman and aliens might seem out of place.

Superhero films have done well in recent years and DC is keen to tap into their popularity. Man of Steel 2 will be made at some stage, and fans may also see the Justice League movie one day soon. It’s a good time to be a comic book fan!