Christian Bale will re-team with his American Hustle director David O. Russell on a new film before starring in Thor: Love and Thunder. Bale recently joined the cast of Taika Waititi’s MCU sequel in an undisclosed role, which marked something of a departure for the actor. Outside of playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, Bale’s largely steered clear of big-budget tentpole fare (with few exceptions like Terminator Salvation) and instead focused his efforts on auteur-driven prestige pictures. He’s cultivated successful partnerships with high-profile directors over the past several years, including Russell.
In addition to American Hustle, Bale and Russell collaborated on sports drama The Fighter, for which Bale won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. Since American Hustle came out in 2013, Bale’s remained very active, appearing in several acclaimed films like The Big Short and Ford v Ferrari. In contrast, Russell’s been quiet following his 2015 biopic Joy; there was talk a few years ago of Russell reuniting with Mark Wahlberg for a movie about boxer-turned-priest Father Stu, but that never came into fruition. Now, however, Russell is looking to get back behind-the-camera and he has Bale in tow.
According to Deadline, Bale is going to headline an untitled film written and directed by Russell. Plot details are being kept under wraps for the time being, but Russell is aiming to begin principal photography in April. The only other details available are that this is a “hot project” being fast-tracked and will likely attract “a strong cast.”
That Russell’s latest should have an A-list ensemble shouldn’t come as a surprise. In the 2010s, working with Russell was arguably the easiest way for an actor to earn an Oscar nomination. The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and Joy have a whopping 13 acting nods between them, with three wins. It’ll be interesting to see who co-stars alongside Bale in this new film. Russell’s worked with the likes of Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Amy Adams, and Jennifer Lawrence multiple times in the past, so it’s possible any of them land roles here (of course, there’s always the possibility Russell brings in some new names). With filming scheduled to begin in a few months, there should be more news on the casting front in the near future.
Thor: Love and Thunder is supposed to begin principal photography this summer, so Russell’s new film sounds like it’ll be a relatively quick shoot (similar to the director’s other films). That conceivably puts it on pace for release later this year. Given Russell and Bale’s pedigree, studio New Regency is going to want to give this movie (whatever it is) a big awards push and the likely reason they’re moving forward with it now is they believe it can make a splash at the 2021 Oscars. Time will tell, but with Bale and Russell working together again, nominations could be in their futures.
More: Thor 4: Predicting Love & Thunder’s Villain
Source: Deadline
