The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Christian Bale Talks Batman and Saying Goodbye To The Franchise

Christian Bale, who plays Batman as well as Bruce Wayne, spoke about playing the iconic DC Comics character and also about The Dark Knight Rises being his last Batman-related film.

At a press junket for The Flowers of War, Bale compared leaving the Batman franchise to saying goodbye to an old friend.

“It’s like saying goodbye to an old friend,” Ace Showbiz reported. “When you have the opportunity to be a character so many times, you develop another relationship with him, a more profound one.” 

And speaking on that character, Bale mentions how Bruce Wayne is going to have to confront those two different sides, as he wrestles between being Batman and the Bruce Wayne most see from the outside.

“We agreed that Bruce Wayne is absolutely sincere as Bruce Wayne, and as Batman utterly sincere,” he said. “But Bruce Wayne, the playboy, is a pure facade, it’s a lie he has, somehow, to control one side of your soul that’s not really under control. In fact, only Alfred knows who he is. It’s time for Bruce Wayne to face the pain, that has always stirred his life.”

Bale also mentions working with director Christoper Nolan and the entire cast..

“Shooting in seven different locations, chosen by Nolan was a pleasure. It’s really a privilege to work well, especially with the extraordinary troupe of actors, who always manage to meet Chris’ expectations,” he said.

The Flowers Of War has a limited December 2011 release, with a wider 2012 release to be announced. Here’s the synopsis:

In 1937, Nanking stands at the forefront of a war between China and Japan. As the invading Japanese Imperial Army overruns China’s capital city, desperate civilians seek refuge behind the nominally protective walls of a western cathedral. Here, John Miller (Bale), an American trapped amidst the chaos of battle and the ensuing occupation takes shelter, joined by a group of innocent schoolgirls and thirteen courtesans, equally determined to escape the horrors taking place outside the church walls.  Struggling to survive the violence and persecution wrought by the Japanese army, it is an act of heroism which eventually leads the seemingly disparate group to fight back, risking their lives for the sake of everyone.

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20th, 2012 and is directed by Christopher Nolan starring Christian Bale as Batman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Michael Cain as Alfred, Juno Temple and Josh Pence as a young Ra’s al Ghul.

Head on over to the Cosmic Book News The Dark Knight Rises Movie Hub for even more news, trailers and images.