'Justice League' Movie Bringing Back Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan?

Will Christian Bale Play Batman Again?
FILE - In this file film image provided by Warner Bros., Christian Bale portrays Bruce Wayne and Batman in a scene from "The Dark Knight Rises." The Dark Knight Rises" stayed atop the box office for the second straight weekend, making just over $64 million. But it's lagging behind the staggering numbers of its predecessor, 2008's "The Dark Knight." (AP PHoto/Warner Bros., File)
FILE - In this file film image provided by Warner Bros., Christian Bale portrays Bruce Wayne and Batman in a scene from "The Dark Knight Rises." The Dark Knight Rises" stayed atop the box office for the second straight weekend, making just over $64 million. But it's lagging behind the staggering numbers of its predecessor, 2008's "The Dark Knight." (AP PHoto/Warner Bros., File)

Back in July of last year, "Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan said he had no intention of helping Warner Bros. with its planned Justice League movie. "We're finished with all we're doing with Batman," Nolan, an executive producer on the upcoming Superman movie "Man of Steel," told the Associated Press. "This is the end of our take on this character."

Or maybe it's not.

According to Umberto “El Mayimbe” Gonzalez from Latino Review, Nolan has taken over the comic book landscape at Warner Bros., and his first order of business could include producing the Justice League movie with Batman star Christian Bale attached as a possible lead. ("Subject to a script and deals being worked out, of course," stressed Gonzalez.) This deal would pair Bale's Batman with Henry Cavill's Superman character from "Man of Steel," with the possibility of other DC Comics icons like The Flash and Wonder Woman eventually joining the universe as well. ("Justice League" would be DC Comics' answer to "Marvel's The Avengers.")

That Nolan would return to produce "Justice League" is somewhat surprising, if only because he was so definitive about not handling the project last year. (As J.J. Abrams' eventual leap to "Star Wars" from "Star Trek" taught everyone, however, that which was true one week isn't necessarily true the next.) Bale's involvement is less shocking. The star said he would be happy to return to Gotham City, just as long as Nolan was involved and the script was good. "My understanding is that this is the last one. I think it's appropriate, I think it's going out at the right time," Bale said last year. "But, if Chris came to me with a script and said, 'You know what? There is another story' then I would love the challenge of making a fourth one work."

Making a "fourth one work" could take quite an effort, if only because of the way Nolan ended his Batman trilogy. At the conclusion of "The Dark Knight Rises," Bruce Wayne had retired, leaving the Batman cowl to a young Gotham City cop named Robin (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who himself was rumored to be involved in "Justice League" at one point.)

"Justice League" is currently slotted for a summer 2015 release, putting it in competition with "Marvel's The Avengers 2" and Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII." Per Gonzalez, who also broke the news about Harrison Ford's possible return to the "Star Wars" franchise, Nolan wouldn't direct "Justice League." (Zack Snyder, who directed "Man of Steel," could.) For his part, Nolan recently signed up to direct the long gestating sci-fi thriller "Insterstellar" for both Warner Bros. and Paramount.

For more on this rumor, head over to Latino Review.

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