ALTERNATIVE 007


Batman next Bond?

  



 

Christian Bale is just incredible. He has a unique talent for acting so well you don't see Christian Bale. You see the character. With most other actors, you look at them and think "Oh, that's George Clooney" or "Oh, that's Javier Bardem", however, with Bale, you see him act, and you don't see any of the actor's personality at all. As far as raw skill goes I would say Bale and Daniel Craig are about equal. So why do I place him above Craig? Because of charisma and onscreen presence.

Christian Bale could do James Bond... if he was older. Presently he is way too young. It is an unwritten tradition that Bond actors start out in their late thirties or sometime in their forties, and then retire in their fifties. There have been exceptions to this of course, but that seems to be the tradition. Or at the very least, the Bond actor has to LOOK like he's in his late 30's or early 40's. Bale I hear, is addicted to fitness; he takes care of himself and is too youthful in appearance at this time to effectively and believably portray Fleming's idea of Bond. But Bale has the right look.

As a matter of fact, I need you to look at this little picture I made on MS Paint. I obtained these pictures from wikipedia; not a reliable source of academic information, but, a good source on entertainment stuff. They're almost as good as IMDB in fact.

 
The sketch on the left is a picture of Fleming's vision of what James Bond should look like. The picture on the right, is a picture of Christian Bale when he was much younger. If you age Bale, you will notice that, as far as playing James Bond, he was made to order. Indeed, Fleming's rendition of Bond could easily be Christian Bale's father they look so similar.
 
Also, you did see Bale's performance as Batman right? For the first time since the 1930's, Batman was actually threatening, and he was actually dangerous. The original Batman comics were so dark, it was often thought they were innapropriate for children, so they had to tone down the "darkness" factor and make the character more colorful. Pretty soon Robin was introduced. After that, the character basically turned to **** until Tim Burton gave Batman back his darkness.  Burton's rendition though, was pretentious, overly "artistic" in its approach, and while Nicholson performed the role of Joker brilliantly, in the end Burton's vision of Batman is grossly overrated. Michael Keaton, also, is a horrible actor.
 
Also, it says on the Wiki article about him, that Bale felt more ridiculous than dangerous once in the Batman costume. People don't seem to realize the tremendous acting skill it takes to play a character seriously while wearing a ridiculous outfit. What I'm saying is, if Bale could come across as dangerous while wearing what old timer Americans used to call a "monkey suit" (a derogatory term for stage and movie costumes), imagine how well he could play Bond when he's older, and his acting skill becomes even better than what it is now.
 
I think Christian Bale is an ideal successor to Daniel Craig because he is an actor that although "pretty," although handsome, can come across as dangerous. Also, the intensity he brings to his roles is unreal; watch him in "American Psycho." Bale is easily one of the most underrated actors of our time, but, the cult following he has on the internet will ensure his fame sooner or later. Most internet geeks tend to be smarter than the general population, and as a result, they tend to perceive things the "bovine masses" don't. I personally did not think highly of Bale until a friend of mine asked me to watch his movies and compare him to other actors of our time.
 
Regarding Bond; James Bond is a "battle hardened" spy. Beneath the charming exterior, he is icy, extremely cold blooded, and very, very dangerous. You want to see what kind of an actor Christian Bale is, please watch the movie "Equilibrium." The "Cleric" character Christian Bale played in the movie "Equilibrium" was also icy, extremely cold blooded, and dangerous. Also, the intensity Bale brought to the role of the Cleric, was highly unusual. I believe Sean Bean was also in that movie, but in the end Bale stole the show. At the time, most people only watched it for Bean, but, ended up becoming Bale fans in the end. To the role of Bond, Christian Bale can easily bring that "fire under ice" intensity to the character that Ian Fleming intended all along. As a matter of fact, it is that intensity, the fact that he is dangerous, which makes Bond so attractive to the ladies. I think Fleming even mentioned that in his novels. I mean, the ladies see a man who is tall, dark and handsome right? But, since women are intuitive, they also know he is very dangerous. Also, the way Bond keeps himself in constant control whenever he is not killing people. James Bond the character, has perfect, icy control over a beast, that can kill and destroy at its leisure. But, because Bond is a gentleman, he doesn't let it get out of line.  Part of Bond's confidence, is knowing he has control over himself, and therefore, the situation.

 
That is part of the reason James Bond appeals to women as a sexual fantasy, and why every man wants to be James Bond. Christian Bale can bring an intensity to the role, as yet unseen in other Bond actors. If you haven't done so, watch "Equilibrium." The character Bale played was cold, emotionless, but, beneath it all, was a hidden intensity. There is nothing more frightening to an enemy, than someone who burns with an intense proverbial "killer instinct" but holds it back and has complete control over it. Naturally Bale's character, in accordance to the plot, eventually loses control but, not before bringing to the role the idea of "fire under ice."
 
That is what James Bond should be: "fire under ice." Bale has already played a similar role such as this brilliantly. There is no reason he should not succeed Craig. The reason the Bond movies of the past have all been, well, almost child like in their approach to espionage, is because audiences of the sixties would not have been able to stomach the real, brutal Bond, the one Fleming envisioned.
 
Craig succeeds in every respect, but he lacks the looks and the onscreen presence. Christian Bale on the other hand has a strong onscreen presence not seen since Sean Connery was James Bond and he can act as well as Craig. 
 
Could he be the next James Bond? The answer is yes, Christian Bale can still do Bond after the Batman series. Most Batman actors don't do more than 2 or 3 Batman movies, and by then Bale will only be in his late thirties or early forties and ready to do Bond. If anything, the feral intensity he brings to the role of Batman can actually help him with the role of Bond. I seriously doubt he will be typecast because the character Batman is so widely respected and admired and portrayed by different actors; it is not a role that will stay with him for all time, like, oh, how Nimoy can never shake "Spock" for example.

Christian Bale, has proven, twice, that he can come across as dangerous. First in Equilibrium, and after, in Batman Begins. And in the next installment of Batman he will prove it again.
 
Eon would be extremely foolish not to pursue Christian Bale when Daniel Craig decides to retire from the role. 
- Daniel Cervoni 
 
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