Christian Bale has been papped twice in the past week. He grabbed a muffin one day, and lunch on another. He smiled for the paparazzi, which is unusual. He’s friendly, but the guy doesn’t get papped very often. It happens so rarely that people get excited to see him out and about (especially with his family). Bale is so low-key that he and wife Sibi Blazic recently welcomed a baby boy, but no details were given. I wouldn’t expect to learn the new baby’s name anytime soon either. Bale has never officially confirmed his 9-year-old daughter’s name. So these two new batches of candids are unusual indeed.

Bale is raring up to start promoting Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings. This is one of those epic films that will either hit really big or be a money-wasting disaster. The movie should meet expectations because it appeals to the same crowd who watched Noah. Bale confessed to Hollywood Reporter that the film was so dead serious to shoot that he had to watch Monty Python in his downtime, just to unwind: “You have to have comedy in your life everyday on the set.”

After Exodus releases, Bale already has a new, high-profile gig waiting in the wings. He’s been hired to play Steve Jobs in a big-screen biopic. Do we need another Jobs movie after Ashton Kutcher played Mr. Apple in 2013? This new movie will be more prestigious. Aaron Sorkin has written the script, and Danny Boyle will direct. Bale may bring some Oscar power to the project:

Oscar-winner Christian Bale, who has played Batman and Moses, is about to take on another iconic figure: Steve Jobs.

Sources confirm the actor is in talks to star in Jobs, Sony’’s biopic about the late Apple co-founder.

Based on Walter Isaacson’s biography Steve Jobs the real-life drama is directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin.

Scott Rudin will produce along with Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady.

Sorkin has publicly said the movie will be divided into three long scenes, each taking place backstage before one of Apple’s famous product launches.

“The first one being the Mac,” he told the Daily Beast. “The second one being NeXT, after he had left Apple. And the third one being the iPod.”

“It’s a little like writing about the Beatles,” he added. “There are so many people out there that know him and revere him.”

Leonardo DiCaprio had been circling the role but eventually passed to take time off from acting. David Fincher had also been in talks at one point to direct.

[From Variety]

I find it interesting that Leo DiCaprio was in the running for this movie. It sounds like Leo turned the film down to extend his endless summer of yachts and supermodels. Man, if this turns out to be an Oscar role, Leo is gonna bring his grumpy chihuahua expression to the forefront. This movie will probably be a lot like The Social Network if Fincher was considered as director. Bale will do well, of course.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & 20th Century Fox