Christian Bale in talks to join Thor Love and Thunder

Actor Christian Bale is in negotiations to join Marvel Studios "Thor: Love and Thunder".

If the deal is sealed, it would be Bale's first big franchise movie since his final performance as Bruce Wayne (Batman) in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises", reports variety.com.

The fourth film in the "Thor" franchise, which is slated to open on November 5, 2021, will be directed by "Thor: Ragnarok" filmmaker Taika Waititi, with Chris Hemsworth playing the titular superhero. Actress Tessa Thompson will also be reprising her role from "Ragnarok" as Valkyrie.

It's unclear what role Bale would be playing in the film.