Christopher Nolan (Memento) will direct from a script he worked on with David Goyer. The picture "will follow the early career of The Dark Knight." Filming begins in early 2004.
"What I see in Christian is the ultimate embodiment of Bruce Wayne," said Nolan in the official press release. "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for."
"Now that we've found the best person to play Batman, we are really looking forward to moving ahead with the rest of our casting, and are excited about the exceptional group we are assembling," declared Jeff Robinov, President of production for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Bale – who is 29 years old and stands 6'1" – beat out contenders Joshua Jackson, Eion Bailey, Cillian Murphy, Hugh Dancy and Jake Gyllenhaal for the cowl. He's long been a fan fave for the role and has reportedly coveted the part since the now defunct Batman vs. Superman project was in development. His credits include American Psycho, Reign of Fire and Equilibrium.
Furthermore, Ain't It Cool News claims it has "confirmed that Ra's Al Ghul will definitely be a villain in the film, though there may be a possibility of a small part to be played by the Scarecrow. Also the film will have a good deal to do with London this time out."
So what do you think of Christian Bale as Batman?