Christian Bale In Talks To Star In Todd Field’s ‘The Creed Of Violence’

Update: Variety confirm that Bale is in negotiations to star in the project.

It’s now nearly six years since we last saw a film from director Todd Field. And you would think that there wouldn’t be such a gap from the filmmaker, given that his directorial debut was the Oscar-nominated "In The Bedroom" (which saw him pick up nods for Best Picture and Screenplay), and his follow-up was the equally acclaimed "Little Children" (which got three Oscar noms, including another for Screenplay for Field). And yet, while he’s had projects in development, including being one of many who tried to crack Cormac McCarthy‘s "Blood Meridian," and a gangster tale at Universal called "Hubris," Field hasn’t stepped behind a camera since the release of "Little Children" in 2006.

Hopefully, that’s about to change. Back in May, word arrived that Cross Creek Pictures ("Black Swan," "The Ides Of March") were coming on to finance "The Creed Of Violence," the director’s adaptation of Boston Teran‘s novel, and a project that a year or so ago reportedly had Leonardo DiCaprio circling the film. Word’s been quiet since, but a reader tipped us off to Cross Creek’s website, which seems to reveal that another major A-list star has come on board. 

In the ‘About Me’ section of the site, it reads "In 2013, Cross Creek Pictures will begin production on ‘The Creed Of Violence’ written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Todd Field and starring Oscar winner Christian Bale," We’d heard rumors of an offer to Bale in the last week or two, but given that it’s on the website of the financiers of the film, this seems like pretty solid evidence that Field and the "Dark Knight Rises" star might be teaming up.

The story, set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, centers on two leads: a small-time assassin and a young Bureau of Investigation agent who are forced to work together to infiltrate the Mexican criminal underground. Once inside they encounter a “snake’s nest of thieves, smugglers and professional killers.” We assume that Bale would play either the assassin or the agent, so it looks like there’s another big male lead still to be taken. Could we yet see DiCaprio (who doesn’t have anything else solid lined up after Scorsese’s "The Wolf Of Wall Street") sign on?

Bale reinforced his megastar status with his final turn as Batman, but as shown by his next film, Scott Cooper‘s "Out Of The Furnace," he’s more ready to jump on interesting, dark material than to find another franchise, and the prospect of him working with Field is a hugely exciting one. Early next year is being eyed for the start of Production, so hopefully we’ll find out more from the project, including firm word on Bale’s involvement, sooner rather than later.