Once he had put the Caped Crusader behind him after The Dark Knight Rises, Christian Bale seemed very serious about moving on to greater roles that didn’t require him to talk like he was gargling rocks. While fans debated his place in Batman film legacy, Bale seemed mostly unwilling to answer questions about playing Bruce Wayne in a Justice League movie, nor did he really have much to say about the casting of Ben Affleck (other than offering some advice), because the guy just wanted to move on from Christopher Nolan’s trilogy so he could focus on the present. But that has never stopped people from asking even more questions.
For the December issue of Empire Magazine, Bale discussed everything from working with Ridley Scott – “He’s just this no-bullshit bloke who loves making films” – to the differences between some of his most famous roles, including and most notably Batman and Moses. For what might be the first time since The Dark Knight Rises earned a ton of money in theaters, Bale opened up on what it felt like to hear the news that Affleck’s butt chin would be sticking out of the mask of the next Batman suit.
“I’ve got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always that bit of me going, ‘Oh go on… let’s do another.’ So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour. But I’m 40. The fact that I’m jealous of someone else playing Batman… I think I should have gotten over it by now. I haven’t spoken with Ben, but I emailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way. I would imagine he is doing everything he can to avoid doing anything that I did.”
As for the more important question – can Batman kick Moses’ ass? – Bale seems to think his new role is the bigger badass.
“It’s a little embarrassing to compare Moses to Batman,” Bale laughs. “There are similarities, you know, tragic beginnings and then a heroic future. But Moses is a little more violent. I’m sure if there had been guns around at that time, Bruce Wayne might have had a chance.”
Someone out there just opened Final Draft and started writing Batman vs. Moses. I’m not saying it was me, but I may or may not have the words “Channing Tatum as God” scribbled on a notepad in front of me.