Being a huge Bale fan, this is great news to me. Edward Furlong was capable and entertaining in the role (you could practically hear his teen voice cracking when he'd squeal for Ah-nuld to not kill anyone in T2), and Nick Stahl wasn't bad either as John Connor in T3.
But to play the grown-up version -- the warrior of the future who leads mankind against the techno forces of Skynet -- you really do need a larger-than-life hero. It has to be someone who can play believably tough and take charge, and also human, and a little on the dark side, given his experiences.
Voila. Bale is that guy. Anyone who doubts it should take another look at his performances in American Psycho, Harsh Times, Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma and of course, Batman Begins.
Play Christian Bale Video Playlist.
The script for the latest Terminator has already been completed by T3 writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and Warner Bros. has set the release date for T4 for summer 2009. That would make a great 1 - 2 punch for Bale, who's already starring this summer in the next Batman flick, The Dark Knight.
