Recent “Batman vs. Superman” rumor is unfounded but fans should not lose hope yet

Aug 16, 2013 09:55 GMT  ·  By
Christian Bale remains a strong possibility for Batman in Zack Snyder’s “Batman vs. Superman”
   Christian Bale remains a strong possibility for Batman in Zack Snyder’s “Batman vs. Superman”

The other day, word got out online that Warner Bros. was throwing a fortune at Christian Bale, to have him back as Batman in Zack Snyder’s 2015 sequel to “Man of Steel,” “Batman vs. Superman.” Oddly enough, Warner Bros. is not denying the rumor even if it’s already been proved unfounded.

As we also noted at the time, insiders claimed that Bale was “under a lot of pressure” from the studio, which wanted him back as Batman even though he’d already made up his mind he was done with the character after Chris Nolan’s trilogy.

The same “insiders” claimed that he was being offered $50 (€37.4) to $60 million (€44.9) million for just one movie, the already highly anticipated “Batman vs. Superman” and that he had half a mind of doing it.

Entertainment Weekly traces the original rumor back to an e-book written by Vincent Russell (“Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma”), which includes a paragraph about how Bale could make this kind of money if he agreed to revisit the character for another film, perhaps in “Justice League.”

In other words, there’s no truth to it because it doesn’t come from an “insider.” Russell is in no way involved with Warners or Batman or Bale.

Oddly enough though, the studio isn’t denying the rumor, the same media outlet points out.

“Of course Warner Bros. is going to make a final push to get Bale back, goes the thinking. And $50 million seems about right (I guess?) Reportedly, director Zack Snyder wants a slightly older, wearier Batman to battle Cavill’s younger Superman. That would be Bale, who’s only 39, but he certainly pulled that off in The Dark Knight Rises,” the publication writes.

“Warner Bros. and Bale’s rep both declined to comment about the newest speculation, but that could mean anything or nothing,” EW adds, emphasis ours.

“For those who want to go down the rabbit-hole, Bale starts shooting Exodus, his Moses epic with Ridley Scott, this fall, but he’s not yet officially booked for anything in early 2014, when Batman vs. Superman is tentatively scheduled to shoot. So he’s potentially available. Bale also wouldn’t be the first actor to feign disinterest in order to secure a better payday,” the report continues.

If you also consider the fact that, until now, Warners has denied many huge rumors about the Batman franchise but is not doing so with this one, you will understand why now’s not the time to lose hope yet: Bale might still return as the Caped Crusader.