Batman in the MCU! (Sort of but also not really at all in any way.)
Ever since the one-two punch of The Dark Knight Trilogy and Terminator: Salvation, Christian Bale has pretty much stayed away from blockbusters.
Sure, some of those movies have still cost a lot of money (Exodus: Gods and Kings, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle), and some of them have actually made a surprising amount of money (Ford V Ferrari aka Le Man 66), but the majority have been big awards showcases (The Big Short, Vice, American Hustle).
So with the news, via
Collider, that Christian Bale is in talks to join
Thor: Love And Thunder, it is fair to get more than a little bit excited.
Why, exactly? Well, let us explain.
From what we know so far, Taika Waititi is returning to write and direct after Thor: Ragnarok made over $850 million, and was generally loved by pretty much everyone after the dank and not-very-fun Thor: The Dark World.
He'll also be back to play Korg, the rock creature who has no time for ghosts, and he'll be joined by Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as the new crowned Queen Valkyrie (and perhaps the
first major LGBTQ+ character in the MCU), and a returning Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, who hasn't been around since The Dark World (aside from most napping through Avengers: Endgame).
Aside from that, what do we know? Well, we know that Thor was heading off with Star Lord and co. (the Asguardians Of The Galaxy!) in search of a newly-timelined Gamora, so could Thor: Love and Thunder actually be a cross-over movie, in the way that Captian America: Civil War was just as much an Iron Man movie as it was a Captain America movie?
It is definitely possible, as trying to tie together a GOTG-less plot for Thor 4 (Tho4?) would be... messy. And, as per usual, Marvel and Disney are keeping their cards pretty close to their chest on the future of the MCU, not replying to Collider for comment on Bale's discussions to join the movie, or what the role potentially might be.
Considering we've no idea who the villain might be in Love & Thunder, chances are pretty decent that Bale would fill that role, and we'd wager he'd have A LOT of fun going over-the-top evil, given the opportunity.
We've lots of time yet to find out for sure, as Thor: Love And Thunder is set for release in Irish cinemas on 5 November 2021, just one week before Fantastic Beasts 3. That'll be a busy November, folks!
