Christian Bale, who portrayed Bruce Wayne and Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, confirmed he was in talks to star in Disney and Lucasfilm’s upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story film.
Bale confirmed the talks in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast. But what’s even more surprising is Bale hopes there will be more talks in the future!
Yes, [it was] very tempting. I not only love the films going back to my childhood but also have a very long relationship with Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall because they did Empire of the Sun many years back. There was discussion, [and] I hope there will be future discussions.
While Bale didn’t reveal what role he was in the running for, it was most likely Han Solo’s smuggling mentor, Beckett. That role went to Woody Harrelson.
While Star Wars has traditionally been known to put lesser known actors in starring roles as has been done with Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. They’ve also brought in top talent to surround their stars. Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi was a key component in the original trilogy. George Lucas also brought in Liam Neeson for the Phantom Menace. Disney and Lucasfilm seem to be continuing this tradition. In Rogue One, Forest Whitaker took on the role of Saw Gerrera. In The Last Jedi, Laura Dern played Vice Admiral Holdo and Benicio Del Toro played D.J. In the upcoming Han Solo film, Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany and Woody Harrelson are all part of the cast.
If Disney and Lucasfilm decide to bring in Christian Bale, there’s no doubt in my mind he would absolutely kill the part. Bale is one of the best in the business. He’s not afraid to truly transform himself both physically and mentally into his roles. We’ve seen him on numerous occasions do this whether it’s in The Fighter, The Machinist, American Hustle, or one of my all time favorites, American Psycho.
There will definitely be plenty of opportunities for Bale to land a Star Wars role. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is already developing a brand new trilogy and Lucasfilm and Disney don’t seem to be letting their foot off the pedal when it comes to anthology films. We’ve already gotten Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story is due out May 25, 2018.
Would you want to see Christian Bale in a Star Wars film? I know I would!