Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.comRumors circulated today that Inception‘s Tom Hardy is in talks to take a pivotal role in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. According to Moviefone, Hardy would play Sturges, a vampire mentor to young Abraham Lincoln. (Fox is producing AL: VH and would not comment on Hardy’s involvement in the film.) Combined with his mysterious lead role in Batman 3, Hardy is just a couple of years away from pop culture ubiquity. In fact, if you look at his career track closely, you find a striking array of similarities to his Dark Knight Rises co-star, Christian Bale.
Both Bale and Hardy were talented young actors who had an embarrassing (and potentially career-killing) role in a box office bomb in their younger days. Hardy played Captain Picard’s Romulan clone in Star Trek: Nemesis (which is actually better than its reputation), and Christian Bale played a singin’, dancin’, unionizin’ newsboy in Newsies (which is actually worse than its reputation). Both of them came back into prominence after playing jacked-up psychopaths (Bale in American Psycho, Hardy in Bronson.) They’re both totally Frolan (Friends of Chris Nolan). If you count Hardy stepping in for Mel Gibson in Mad Max 4, which is still set to film someday, then both actors have lead roles in post-apocalyptic reboot-fourquels. (Bale’s post-apocalyptic project being 2009′s Terminator Salvation.) Ow, my brain!
PopWatchers, do you think Tom Hardy’s 2012 will look like Christian Bale’s 2005? Would you like to see him in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, or should he be looking for artier fare to offset his expanding Nolanography?
Read more:
Tom Hardy to be in ‘Batman 3′? Who will he play?
EW review: Bronson
Fourth Mad Max film still a go
I’ve been in love with him since he played Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.
I’m not in love with him, but he is a very good actor, and Star Trek Nemesis is actually one of the decent Star Trek movies made other than First Contact and the recent reboot.
Of the four Next Generation movies, it’s the second best, behind First Contact. However, that isn’t saying much since the other two were hideous stinkers.
Me, too. It’s funny that my favorite filmed versions of that novel (my favorite) take considerable liberties (like the Wyler version completely ignoring the second half of the novel). But they both capture the essence of the novel and the nature of the characters better than more “faithful” adaptations.
Yeah- I was rolling my eyes a little that they completely forgot about Lockwood, but it definitely had the same “spirit” as the novel.
Yeah, I was taken aback by that too, but while Lockwood works as a frame for the novel, I don’t think he’s necessary for a current filmed version.
Good point about Lockwood. Besides that I loved the adaption. And apparently Hardy is now engaged to the actress who played Cathy.
I much prefer a colleague of his – Benedict Cumberbatch who is a much better actor and more charismatic too. Hardy is not that versatile. he can do soft or very very hard and zilch in the middle.
Me, too. That was an amazing performance. Loved him in Bronson, enjoyed him even more as Handsome Bob. I’ve seen everything I can get in the US and am continually amazed by his versatility and powerful performances. You can compare him to Bale, who is an undeniably talented actor, but I’d rather watch Hardy any day.
Ugh, yuck, wuthering Heights is why he looks familiar. I hated that rendition. Whatever shape his future takes, he’s no Christian Bale.
He was ruthless as Heathcliff…and Bill Sykes! He’s definitely got the whole villian thing down.
Hey, Nemisis was awesome! Tom Hardy did a great job with what he had and he was a big part of why the ensemble in Inception was such a kick in the pants (no pun intended). I’d love to see him hit superstardom over here in the US.
You just insulted Newsies on the internet. That’s like telling a mom her baby is ugly. It will never be forgiven, and will never be forgotten.
Hear hear!
Amen!
The World will Know !
And the world will hear what we have to say!!
“I say what you say is what I say!”
Let’s soak ‘em!
How is Newsies embarrassing? Or any more embarrassing than being in Reign of Fire or Equilibrium, which are equally genre-oriented and ridiculous.
The best part of Regin of Fire apart from the CG dragons is Bale. And Equilibrium is an awesome fun movie
I deeply resent any and all Newsies-bashing. It is a fine film, a tribute to the human spirit…and fancy choreography. Please apologize immediately, Sir.
Truth.
Newsies is only…like..the most awesome movie ever! hehe. Seriously though, it’s a cult classic.
Yeah, not a smart move. That movie may have bombed in the theaters but it has a massive cult following of die-hard fans. (I’m one of them!) Plus it’s awesome.
Newsies is awesome.
Newsies is totally awesome and I will always love it no matter what anyone says.
Although the similarities with Bale’s career are amusing, I don’t care if he’s the next Christian Bale or not (hopefully we won’t hear about him flipping out on a DP) as long as he keeps getting work because Hardy is excellent. (And, yes, I’m counting his performance in “Nemesis”: I remember watching it and running over to IMDB to see who the Picard clone was.)
Exactly!
He was a stand-out. It was the script that was less than stellar.
How can you diss Newsies? I mean, fair enough, you’re a guy, so you’re not the demographic, but that was a much beloved movie for a lot of young girls.
ITA!!
My family LOVED newsies when we were growing up! I even have a blackmail cassette of my little brother singing “Open the gates and seize the day” when he was like 4.
Hey, whoa there. No need to insult Newsies. It’s quite possibly the best musical about the paperboy strike of 1899 ever.
LOL!
And they’re making it a Broadway show!
As a longtime and devoted fan of Newsies, I completely resent that it’s “worse than it’s reputation”. It’s a cult classic and a wonderful film in a campy, fun way: it’s nothing to be taken completely seriously, but it’s sincere, fun, and amazingly enjoyable and entertaining, so I’d thank you not to editorialize on it!
(Um, btw, I’m not as self-righteously indignant as I may come off in this comment; I know tone is hard to interpret on the Internet. But what I said still stands!
)
He has such pretty lips. (I’m honestly not sure if that’s a complement)
Hell no! The next Christian Bale is Mr. Athiest Bale!
Terrible.
It might have been funny if you could spell atheist correctly!
It might have been funny if you had spelled atheist correctly!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, I LOVED Newsies. No insulting my favorite movies from my formative years! I mean, besides Christian Bale, there’s Robert Duvall, Kevin Tighe, and Vinnie from Doogie Howser!! And that guy who went on to play the douchey record exec in Honey! It’s UNDERappreciated if anything.
Yeah, you’ve got Bale, Duvall, Anthony Cooper, and Bill Pullman? Awesome.
Newsies = awesome. Darren Franich = F-
God he’s hot….
Awww, be nice to Newsies!
I love Tom Hardy. He and Gordon-Levitt sort of stole the Inception show, I thought. Also, he was downright adorable in Rocknrolla.
And that mouth.
Wait…there’s going to be a movie called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? Dang – I was hoping to sell my script about the zombie killing adventures of Mother Teresa.
I’m sure there’s still room out there for your Mother Theresa project. Who opened the Hellmouth for all of these vampire/zombie/undead stories?
This guy is awesome. He’s a great actor. And the more open he is in interviews, the cooler I find him.