Christian Bale 'stopped and stared into nothing' when he heard that the role of Batman had been recast.
Christian Bale
Bale stepped away from the role of Batman in 2012 after the success of The Dark Knight Rises, having played the caped crusader on two previous occasions. However, the character is set to return to the big screen in the sequel to Man of Steel alongside Henry Cavill's Superman.
And while Bale knew that The Dark Knight Rises was the right time to walk away from this character and the franchise, he was still stunned to discover that the role had been recast so soon.
Speaking to Empire, the actor said: "I've got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always a bit of me going, 'Oh go on... Let's do another.' So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour.
"But I'm 40," Christian continued. "The fact that I'm jealous of someone else playing Batman... I think I should have gotten over it by now."
"I haven't spoken with Ben, but I emailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way. I would imagine he is doing everything he can to avoid anything that I did."
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to hit the big screen in 2016, and will come three years after Superman returned to the big screen in Man of Steel, and will see Affleck and Cavill team up for the first time.
The movie will see Zack Snyder back in the director's chair, while Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jeremy Irons are just some of the names on the ensemble cast list.
As for Bale, he will be back on the big screen next month as he takes on the role of Moses in Exodus: Gods and Kings, which sees him work with director Ridley Scott for the first time.
Bale has also completed work with director Terrence Malick on Knight of Cups and an untitled film project, both are due to be released next year.
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is released 25th March 2016.
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