Christian Bale may have gone from one major DC series into the world of the MCU with his next role, but that didn't even cross the mind of the former Batman actor when Thor: Love and Thunder came his way. Previously, Bale spent three films as Bruce Wayne as the star of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises). He will next appear as the villain Gorr the God Butcher in Taika Waititi-directed film Thor: Love and Thunder.
In a new interview for Total Film, Bale spoke about his casting as Gorr. He was asked if he had any "qualms" about joining another superhero film after he'd hung up the cape and cowl as the Dark Knight. As Bale explains, he never even considered his past as Batman when taking on Thor: Love and Thunder. The actor admitted that he wasn't even sure what the "MCU" was and had to have it explained to him after he'd already taken the part of Gorr.
"Absolutely not, no. That didn't even enter into my head at all. I'd read that, and people would go, 'Oh, look at this! He's entered the MCU!' And I'd go, 'I've done what? I haven't entered sh*t, thank you very much.' I'm like, 'The MCU?' I had to ask what that was."
Christian Bale Tested Higher Than Any Other Marvel Villain According to Taika Waititi
Bale's co-stars and Thor: Love and Thunder's director had some glowing things to say about Christian Bale as well in a separate interview with Fandango. According to director Taika Waititi, Bale is the "most sympathetic" villain that has ever been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Waititi also claimed that Bale also "tested the highest of any villain Marvel has had."
"[He brings] exactly what you'd want, hope, and expect," added Chris Hemsworth of what Bale brings to the table as Gorr. "It's nuance, complexity, depth, a sort of quirkiness to it that I didn't see on the page. And with any sort of classic villain, the fact that you find yourself empathizing or asking questions that they're asking, or ideas that they're posing, it's not just stock standard sort of evil villain."
Mesmerized by watching Bale in action, Tessa Thompson said, "He would make choices that you would be like, 'Oh.' It was just so fun to watch, and such dexterity, and also what he did with his body. And he's really in it in the way that you would assume Christian is, but he also has a sense of humor about it."
Waititi wrote the screenplay for Thor: Love and Thunder with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film also stars Jaimie Alexander, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman. The cast of The Guardians of the Galaxy series also appears in the movie, which is a part of the MCU's Phase Four.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to be released in movie theaters on July 8, 2022.