Thanks to his moving and shape-shifting performance in David O. Russell's The Fighter, Christian Bale is the frontrunner to win his first Oscar this year. Bale's turn as the crack addicted former boxer was not the first time that Bale decimated his form, however, having done so for both Rescue Dawn and The Machinist. But while his weight loss for the Werner Herzog film was impressive, Bale, who stands at 6' tall, shrunk down to 110 pounds for his part in the Brad Anderson mystery. Now it looks like he's going to be doing it again.
We Got This Covered recently spoke to Anderson, who is currently promoting his film Vanishing on 7th Street, and learned that Bale will be working with the director again on Concrete Island. Based on the novel by J.G. Ballard, the film would be the second time Bale has starred in a Ballard adaptation, the actor first making a name for himself at the age of 13 with his role in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Bale first mentioned interest in the project, which will be written by Machinist scribe Scott Kosar, back in 2009 while promoting Terminator: Salvation.
A version of the classic Robinson Crusoe story, an architect named Robert Maitland finds himself stranded on a man made island in the middle of a highway intersection after a car crash. Surviving only on what is in his car, Maitland's mind begins to deteriorate before realizing that he wants to spend the rest of his life on his concrete island.
Stranded in the middle of a highway? A limited supply of food? An extended amount of time? Looks like once Bale is done with The Dark Knight Rises he is going to go back on his diet of tuna and an apple.
For those unaware of the Incredible Shrinking Bale, I've posted a timeline below that demonstrates how the actor has played yo-yo with the scales in the last seven years.
The Machinist (2004)
Batman Begins (2005)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Fighter (2010)
