Chapter 523: Guiding Bale

This trilogy would inevitably scale back Batman's abilities. That might put some people off, but compared to its four "predecessors," bringing Batman down from his pedestal to become flesh and blood would make up for the biggest flaw of many DC superheroes: being far too perfect.

The original era of Superman and Batman had ended. If modern movies wanted to succeed, they had to close the distance with their audience.

From that perspective, it made perfect sense that DC's aloof superheroes had lost to Marvel's more grounded ones.

In Duke's vision, Batman wasn't like other heroes with a host of superpowers.

He was more of an ordinary man—one who had learned ninjutsu and armed himself with high technology. That felt grounded in reality, giving the audience the sense that this superhero could be right beside them. As for the villains, the Ninja Master relied on ninjutsu and technology, Scarecrow relied on drugs, and the Joker and Bane relied on naked threats and brute force. It created the illusion that these criminals could easily appear in real life.

Consequently, it evoked a specific feeling: 'Could I become Batman?'

A sense of immersion might not matter for other movies, but for a superhero film, it was crucial.

Not only were the characters realistic, but so was Gotham. Darkness, corruption, murder, and crime shrouded Gotham City. It was the perfect backdrop for this kind of superhero, stripping crime bare for the audience and making it feel not like science fiction or fantasy, but like reality right in front of them.

Compared to the action scenes, Christian Bale's acting was genuinely struggling. It took nearly ten blown takes to finish a relatively simple scene. Duke could tell Bale was having trouble grasping Bruce Wayne's psychology; he clearly wasn't taking the superhero role seriously enough.

That wasn't to say Bale lacked professionalism—he was actually taking the work very seriously. The problem was that he was treating Batman like just another trendy superhero. The film's style, however, was already set in stone. Trying to play Bruce Wayne the same way you would any other superhero simply wouldn't work.

In the car back to the crew's hotel, Duke decided he needed to find time for a proper talk with Bale.

But when Duke got up to jog the next morning, Christian Bale approached him first, looking to discuss the role.

The two walked out of the hotel grounds and stood on a tall rock, looking out at the vast, white glaciers in the distance.

"I read the script again last night," Bale said softly. "I lay awake thinking for a long time. This character is harder and more complex than I imagined."

"Don't treat it as a superhero movie." Duke pulled his collar tight, covering his ears from the biting wind. "Treat it as a psychological crime thriller. You'll find something different."

Christian Bale gave a slight nod.

Since the actor had taken the initiative, Duke was more than willing to guide him.

"What do you think is the core theme of the film?" he asked.

Bale thought for a moment. "Fear, anger, determination, and power."

"Exactly." Duke shifted his gaze toward where the sun was about to rise. "Right now, Bruce Wayne is mostly driven by anger and fear."

"How do you view fear?" he asked.

"By its physiological definition, fear is an emotional experience where an organism attempts to escape or avoid a certain situation but is powerless to do so. It can also manifest as violent contractions in biological tissues; tissue density increases sharply, and energy is released rapidly."

Hearing Bale, an actor completely outside the School Faction, recite such an academic viewpoint made Duke smile. "I think fear is a very contradictory phenomenon," he said. "The more terrified you are, the more you can actually draw on a greater power to resist, or even strike back."

Christian Bale looked curious.

Duke continued, "Honestly, I've never believed that mutually exclusive things could coexist, but it really is a strange phenomenon. The only explanation is that fear itself can restrain anger, but once that anger is triggered, 'fear inspires power' takes effect."

"That's the flip side of Bruce Wayne's fear—anger! I actually believe fear brings out his anger, and anger inspires his power."

Duke steered the topic back to the character. "Bruce Wayne's initial fear of bats was purely about their appearance. At that stage, Bruce couldn't feel the power that fear can bring. But his parents' subsequent murder painted his fear with anger. Through study and training during this time, Bruce acquired his own formidable power."

"He was different from his father. After losing his chance for revenge, he gained the courage to challenge Gotham's mobs. That was what catalyzed his departure from Gotham City, right up until his eventual return. Only when he finally learned to control his fear did he become fear itself... he became Batman."

"Christian..." Duke patted his arm. "What you need to do is highlight Bruce Wayne's fear, anger, and determination through the right acting choices in the appropriate scenes!"

"I'll give it my all," Bale said.

The sun gradually climbed over the horizon; yesterday's gloom had been replaced by today's clear skies.

Duke climbed down from the rocks and called out to Bale, "Let's head to the restaurant. We can talk while we eat."

The two entered the hotel restaurant, grabbed a few simple items, and sat at a table together, eating their breakfast slowly while exchanging views on the character.

Naturally, as the director, Duke did the vast majority of the talking while Christian Bale listened.

"The film is part of a trilogy, and Batman Begins mainly covers Batman's origins." Duke took only a few bites before pushing his breakfast plate aside. "In reality, this is about Bruce Wayne experiencing fear, conquering it, and becoming Batman."

"His status is very unique. The Wayne Group makes his family one of Gotham City's wealthiest and most respected clans." As Bale recalled Bruce Wayne's background, he picked up where Duke left off. "Logically speaking, Bruce should just be a traditional rich heir living a flashy, upper-class life. That's exactly what Rachel expects from him—someone with a sense of justice, but who doesn't actively intervene to fight crime."

He thought for a moment and added, "He was frightened by bats as a child, and that fear indirectly caused his parents' deaths. He watches the city his father gave everything to protect slide into depravity, and fear and anger completely take over his heart."

"Therefore, Bruce Wayne's growth can be divided into three stages."

Guiding actors to better understand their roles—helping them perform at their best to elevate the film—was one of Duke's primary duties as a director.

He held up one finger. "The first stage is before his parents' deaths, when he lived in constant anxiety from the fear the bats instilled in him. His father is a huge influence on him here, and many of those teachings have a profound impact on his future actions."

Duke held up a second finger. "The second stage is after his parents die. He constantly uses anger to suppress his fear. He's full of deep remorse for causing their deaths, and intense resentment toward their killer. But obviously, this stage is exactly what the Ninja Master meant when he said it 'will ruin a lifetime.' Take his father's killer, Chill, for example. He's at the absolute bottom of society, terrified of the mob bosses. He's angry but doesn't dare speak out. In the end, his anger can't overcome his fear for his own livelihood, culminating in the tragedy of him murdering Bruce's parents."

He held up his final finger. "So, the third stage begins when his enemy is killed by the mob boss Falcone, making revenge impossible. After Rachel's reminder, Bruce realizes that blind anger will only destroy him once he loses his target for revenge. Thus, he declares war on Falcone and the mob, diving deep into the criminal underworld to understand them."

Listening to Duke, Christian Bale gradually developed a deeper understanding of the character.

"Just as the Ninja Master says, what Bruce has always been seeking isn't the fear of criminals, but his own fear," Bale said. "He has always feared the power inside him—a power he can't control through anger. Therefore, he embarks on the path to become fear itself, to become Batman, and to punish criminals."

"You could look at it that way," Duke nodded, steering the conversation even deeper. "Bruce overcomes his fear to become Batman and protect Gotham City. So, what exactly is he afraid of?"

"On the surface, Bruce is afraid of bats. Falling into the Batcave as a child and being frightened by the swarm... it was precisely his reaction to the bats that indirectly got his parents killed. This became a lingering shadow in his heart."

After saying this, Christian Bale noticed Duke was still watching him, waiting for him to continue.

He gathered his thoughts as he went over the script in his head. After a long silence, he said, "I think what Bruce truly fears is the formidable power within himself."

He spoke slowly. "In the script, he has a conversation with his father about how the more terrifying a creature is, the more afraid it actually is. Bruce fears bats, and the bats actually fear Bruce. In the end, what Bruce fears is the power that erupts from him when he's terrified."

Seeing Duke's approving look, Bale added, "When he speaks to Henri Ducard about how his fear led to his parents' deaths, Bruce is actually using anger to suppress that power. Later, with Ducard's help, Bruce finds a primal, safe, and symbolic way to properly use and channel it. By becoming fear itself, he manipulates and redirects that power, shifting the fear so that it targets the people who truly deserve it. That is what it means to become Batman."

Duke smiled and stood up. As he walked past Bale, he patted him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm really looking forward to your performance."