Christian Bale prepping to scale Everest for director Baltasar Kormakur

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Taking off the cowl of Batman hasn’t slowed star Christian Bale in any way.  The actor is in negotiations to star in EVEREST for director Baltasar Kormakur (THE DEEP) at Universal, which is based on the same ill-fated expedition most famously chronicled in author John Krakauer’s INTO THIN AIR.  The disastrous 1996 expedition to climb Mount Everest resulted in eight deaths with a few lucky survivors making it back down the mountain.  The film is said to be sourced from various books, interviews, and source material and not a direct adaptation of Krakaeurs first-person account.  No word on which character Bale would portray, but likely one of the survivors.

There is a competing EVEREST film in the works at Sony, this one being helmed by Doug Liman (currently shooting the Tom Cruise actioner ALL YOU NEED IS KILL) and starring Tom Hardy as “Sir George Mallory in his quest to be the first to the top of Everest in the 1920s.”  A different story and timeframe altogether, but the same location and theme (i.e. climbing a big ass mountain). 

Director Baltasar Kormakur is coming off of the Mark Wahlberg starrer CONTRABAND and the recently wrapped 2 GUNS, also starring Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, which is set for release later this year.  Bale recently wrapped OUT OF THE FURNACE, KNIGHT OF CUPS for Terrance Malick, and is preparing to team up with his THE FIGHTER director, David O. Russell, for his next onscreen bout.  All in all, both men are some extremely busy guys.

More as EVEREST (both of them) develop.