Christian Bale to Star in Nanjing Heroes

I actually thought he was going to use the next six months to workout for The Dark Knight Rises...I guess not.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Christian Bale is set to star in acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou's Nanjing Heroes.  The film is to be set around the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, when Japanese troops killed thousands of Chinese citizens in the then nation's capital.  Bale will play an American priest named John who helps save Chinese citizens from death.  The film will be shot in 40% English, and the rest in Mandarin Chinese.  The $90 million budgeted film is set to start filming January 10th.

A few things to take away from this news.  1) Bale is without a doubt in control of his career as he's chosen to do not only a foreign produced film but also one that won't even be primarily in English.  2) This will already be one of the more anticipated films of the next couple years as the director, Zhang Yimou, is basically China's Christopher Nolan (go figure), having been chosen to direct the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008.  3) If Bale's amazing performance in The Fighter is anything to go by, he might be up for Best Actor at next year's Oscars after winning this year's upcoming Best Supporting Actor Oscar (that's right, I'm guaranteeing it now).