Christian Bale Batman Role in Superman 'Man of Steel 2' Rumored

Christian Bale could be offered $50 million to return as Batman in a "Man of Steel" sequel beside Henry Cavil's Superman, even if he appears for just 20 minutes, a source told an author a newly published e-book claims.

Vince Russel's e-book "Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma" has driven the rumors about Bale's possible role. Russel claims to have spoken with someone from Legendary Pictures who said that Bale could easily make upwards of $50 million even if he had a small part.

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But some say the e-book is mere situation. Scott Johnson, of ComicBook.com, is skeptical of the e-book.

"From what we read, the $50 million offer did not come from Warner Bros, but rather it was just a theory of what one of the author’s friends thought Christian Bale could make," Johnson wrote this week. "So yes, the book definitely seems to be suggesting that Christian Bale could return as Batman, but the $50 million offer wasn’t something that was actually made to Christian Bale, but was rather someone’s opinion."

"Beyond Batman" claims Bale is facing "pressure" by the offer to return to his Batman role.

Russel also wrote in his book, "Sources close to Christian Bale have reportedly begun expressing their suspicions that Bale now views the 'Batman' films in the same light that Robert Downey, Jr. views the 'Iron Man' films. Although Downey has appeared as Tony Stark in four films in less than a decade, he’s hardly typecast as only Iron Man.

"Christian Bale’s future success as a Hollywood draw may need Batman every bit as much as the Batman franchise needs Bale for a few more rounds," Russel added.

Not much has been said about Bale's availability for "Man of Steel" 2, which has renewing hope in fans, despite the actor's earlier denials about his return.

"While everyone expected representatives from Warner Bros. or Christian Bale to quickly deny these reports, both camps have been strangely silent," Inquisitr points out. "Does this mean that the studio and the actor are discussing the idea? Did all of this speculation bring the parties back to the table? Anything’s possible at the moment."

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