Christian Bale is hanging up his cape.
The man who took the Caped Crusader to new heights says that with the
epic, multi-continental "Dark Knight Rises" shoot all done and dusted,
what will be his and Christopher Nolan's third time handling Batman will
also be their last.
"I wrapped a few days ago so that will be the last time I'm taking that cowl [Batman hood] off," the Oscar-winner
told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
"I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it's all
done. Everything's finished. It's me and Chris - that will be the end of
that Batman era."
The era began in 2005, with the sorely-needed franchise reboot,
"Batman Begins." That was well reviewed and financially successful, with
a $372 million worldwide take, but truly was just an appetizer for
2008's "The Dark Knight," which featured an Oscar-winning performance
from Heath Ledger and earned over $1 billion around the globe.
The Nolan-Bale iteration of the series will go out with a bang,
adding stars Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy to a cast
that also returns Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. Nolan
recently hinted towards his and Bale's conclusion when he revealed that "The Dark Knight Rises,"
"is all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story," and takes
place eight years after "The Dark Knight." The film will feature an
older and more physically challenged Batman, which will cause serious
problems when it comes to facing off against the Tom Hardy-portrayed
villain, Bane.
Bale's statements add a certainty to a finish he seemed more tentative about this time last year,
when he told E! Online, "The thing is that this will be, I believe, unless Chris says different, this will be the last time I'm playing Batman."
