Rumour: Christian Bale offered $50m to appear in Batman Vs Superman?

Rumours have been swirling around the web recently that suggest Christian Bale has been offered a whopping payday - to the tune of $50m - to return as the Dark Knight in the upcoming Man Of Steel sequel, presumed to be titled Batman Vs Superman .

While some high-profile news sites and tabloids have been reporting on the subject, as EW points out, the speculation is actually based on an excerpt from an e-book called, Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story Of Christian Bale And His Dark Dilemma .

Author Vincent Russel bases his assessment of the situation on a New Year’s Eve 2012 discussion with a contact at Legendary Pictures, who said of a potential Justice League film: “He could probably make $50m for being in the movie 20 minutes.”

So far, there’s no solid evidence that negotiations with Bale are even in place. In July 2013 , Bale referred to the Batman role as “a torch that should be handed from one actor to another,” adding, “I enjoy looking forward to what somebody else will come up with.”

A return for Bale would jar with the theme of finality that ran through The Dark Knight Rises and its marketing, and it would feel strange for this particular incarnation of the character to return without Christopher Nolan in the director's chair.

Until Zack Snyder casts an actor in the MOS sequel, expect this particular rumour to rumble on and on…