February 2005
February 24th, 2005
Hank Williams Helped Bale Lose Weight
Movie actor CHRISTIAN BALE encouraged himself to lose weight for his role as an emaciated factory worker in THE MACHINIST by pinning a picture of a malnourished HANK WILLIAMS to his script.
The normally muscle-bound Bale, who ended up weighing 54 kilograms (eight and a half stone) by the time shooting began, refused to compromise the movie by not losing enough weight.
He explains, "The more I read the script the more I realised this doesn't work unless he looks like he's at death's door.
"He can't look like he's a little bit skinny. You go out in the street - not so much in the States but in the rest of the world - half the people are a little bit skinny.
"This had to be someone you looked at and thought, there's something wrong there.
"I had a nice photograph of Hank Williams, taken when he was 29 and getting released from jail, about three months before he died. The guy looks like he's about 60 - emaciated, very poor condition.
"I blew that up and had it on the front of my script. That was what I was going to aim for."
Source: Contactmusic.com
February 23rd, 2005
Batman Is Psycho And Savior
Christian Bale, who plays the Caped Crusader in the upcoming Batman Begins movie, told SCI FI Wire that his Batman combines elements of two previous roles he's portrayed: Jesus Christ and the American Psycho. "He's very much an American psycho of sorts and, yeah, also certainly has Christ-like symptoms," Bale said in an interview at WonderCon in San Francisco last weekend. "And, yeah, you know, [you see it in] the battle between [his] spirit and ... flesh and, with Bruce Wayne, the battle between the philanthropy his father taught him and was a great example to him for and the need for vengeance, which is incredibly strong." Bale played Jesus in the 1999 telefilm Mary, Mother of Jesus and gained fame as the title character in 2000's theatrical film American Psycho.
Bale said that he views Batman as conflicted. "Because his heart is telling him, frankly, that he wants to kill," he said. "But he cannot do it. He's been taught differently from childhood, and he knows that it is wrong. But, still, it's an overwhelming urge that he's had to pull back, rein in, all the time."
Bale added that this version of the Batman story, the fifth in Warner Brothers' recent franchise, is particularly relevant to these unsettled times. "I don't want to give away too much, but what Scarecrow [Cillian Murphy] is doing, and which Ra's Al Ghul [Ken Watanabe] and everybody [is up to], is very similar to the anthrax scare that people [went through]," he said. "It's very similar to the possibility of chemical, biological warfare, etc., going on. The notion also of the mentor that Bruce Wayne chooses to go and train with being a man with a triple-barreled name [who] lives in caves kind of on the run: You can't help but take a look and say, 'Hmm. There's a lot of relevance to it.' I think also the age-old thing of the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. And the nature of power and corruption. I think all of these things are particularly relevant, yeah. And I think it should be. Because this is American mythology. It should be in keeping with the times. If it's not, it's missing the point." Batman Begins opens June 17.
Source: SciFi.com
February 22nd, 2005
Bale Awaits Batman Begins Hysteria
British actor CHRISTIAN BALE is bracing himself for an onslaught of attention when BATMAN BEGINS is released in June (05) - despite the fact he usually strives to keep himself out of the public eye.
Bale, who plays the Caped Crusader in director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN's movie, understands how high-profile his latest role is and accepts being continuously spotted is a part of the job.
He says, "Of course, I'll be recognised walking down the street much more. And that's going to lead to some bizarre things happening on occasion.
"There may be a couple of months of madness when it first comes out.
"But I just feel like, if you're not pursuing that elitist, rarified Hollywood life, which I'm not and which I really do not ever want to be a part of, I believe it'll be OK."
Source: Contactmusic
Bale: A Drunk Hit Batmobile
Christian Bale, who plays the title character in the upcoming comic-book movie Batman Begins, told SCI FI Wire that a drunk driver sideswiped one of the film's stunt Batmobiles while it was being moved during a break in shooting on the streets of Chicago last year. "There were a couple of times driving down the street in Chicago and when it was like, we can load it on the truck or just drive five minutes down there, and they just drove five minutes down there, and you see that thing just going down the street, and everybody is stopping and looking," Bale said in an interview at WonderCon in San Francisco over the weekend. "There was even this guy who crashed into it, this poor drunken guy who didn't have a license. [He] said he got so panicked when he saw the car that he thought aliens were landing, and he put the pedal to the metal."
Bale wasn't in the car at the time, and no one was hurt. Bale said that several Batmobiles were built for the film, with a design unlike any from previous films or TV incarnations. "They've done such a radically different thing with it," he said. "And what I love about it is that, aesthetically, it kicks ass. It looks f--king stunning. ... It looks nothing like any Batmobile that has come before it, and it completely has practical applications that are explained, and [are] very smart and make complete sense. And that's indicative of what we've done with everything to do with the movie, including the explanations of the suit, the cowl, all the different gadgets that he comes up with and where he comes to them."
Did Bale eventually get to keep one of the stealth-black vehicles? "That was the first question," he said with a smile. "They looked at me, and they went, 'Are you f--king kidding?' I didn't." Batman Begins opens June 17.
Source: SciFi.com
February 20th, 2005
WonderCon
Christian was spotted at the WonderCon on Saturday, February 19th, 2005 (a comic convention that is held in San Francisco this weekend) where he did a presentation and Q&A for Batman Begins!
"Warner Bros. presents: Batman Begins at WonderCon! The saga of the Dark Knight begins at WonderCon as the star of Batman Begins, Christian Bale (right), makes an exclusive appearance. Join him for a question and answer session in his only convention appearance! Room 134/135"
February 16th, 2005
Update on Batman Begins
Check out the Official Batman Begins website for some great new pictures.
The Legions of Gotham forum offers quite a few pictures of the upcoming merchandise.
February 11th, 2005
First review of Batman Begins preview
"The film's performances are for the most part, great. Christian Bale is by far the greatest Batman we have ever seen. His Bruce Wayne has the looks and charisma, and under Nolans brilliant direction, is able to show his true self. In his facial expressions, everything. His Batman is great. The fighting is cool and fresh, while not too different i.e. the matrix. Utterly badass sometimes. Bale's performance is fantastic. He steals his own show in every scene he's in, whether it's Batman or Bruce."
In case you are curious ... read the whole article at "Aint it cool news". SPOILER WARNING
Bale, Holmes Lend Voices to 'Batman' Video Game
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Christian Bale, the latest incarnation
of Batman, will don the vigilante's cowl for a new video game.
The 31-year-old actor and his fellow "Batman Begins" stars are lending
their voices to the Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
tie-in game, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Actors spent a lot of time developing their character for this movie, and having the talent reprise their role in the game is a way for them to maintain the integrity of what they've done," says Jason Hall, senior vp Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "And it's cool!"
The other actors agreeing to reprise their roles include: Michael Caine as trusty butler Alfred, Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel, Liam Neeson as mentor Henri Ducard, Morgan Freeman as former Wayne Enterprises, Tom Wilkinson as crime leader Falcone and Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow.
The interactive game will be released on June 17, the same day as the release of its movie counterpart.
The latest of the Batman adventures is scripted by David Goyer and Christopher
Nolan, who also directs. Goyer also wrote big-screen adaptations for the "Blade"
trilogy.
Source: Zap2it.com
February 10th, 2005
All-Star Cast Aboard Batman Begins Game
Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today they have secured an all-star cast for the Batman Begins video game. The game will feature the voices and likenesses of Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Liam Neeson (Henri Ducard), Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes), Cillian Murphy (Dr. Jonathan Crane), Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), all reprising their roles from the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film directed by Christopher Nolan.
Launching with the film in June 2005, the Batman Begins video game challenges gamers to step into the shadows of Gotham City's perilous criminal underworld as DC Comics' legendary Dark Knight, and use fear as their ultimate weapon.
Based on Christopher Nolan's film, the Batman Begins video game explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. Gamers will play as both Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego, Batman, hunting evil-doers from the shadows, using strength, intellect and an array of high tech gadgets to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city, including classic villains the Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul and Carmine Falcone.
Batman Begins is currently in development by EA and Eurocom for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game console from Microsoft®, and Nintendo GameCubeTM.
Source: Electronic Arts February 10, 2005 (Thanks to Balebond!)
And here is another link to Gameplanet with pictures from the upcoming game
February 7th, 2005
Check out the official Batman Begins website for the Super Bowl TV Spot! In case you do have problems with the popup window - use this direct link here
February 6th, 2005
Batman Begins begins - the official Batman Begins website has received a massive facelift with lots of goodies! Check it out!
SuperHeroHype.com has some new pictures from Batman Begins - thanks to Balefan for posting them on my Board!
Jolt.co.uk have some interesting shots of the upcoming EA game Batman Begins!
February 2nd, 2005
Interesting rumours on www.totalvideogames.com
Christian Bale Is Solid Snake???
Rumours suggest that the latest Batman will be bringing Solid Snake to life on the big screen...
In a recent interview with Christian Bale, the forthcoming Batman has reported confirmed his role as none other then Solid Snake in the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid motion-picture adaptation.
Whilst we’ve yet to confirm the source of the original article, when asked about the role Bale is quoted as stating “He's the only guy you will ever know who won't get the living daylights beat out of him for having a mullet.”