Christian Bale Is Unrecognizable As Dick Cheney In First Vice Footage

Between balancing the class of Bruce Wayne and the strength of the Bat in the Dark Knight trilogy, a beer-bellied con man in American Hustle, and a frightening psychopath in American Psycho, Christian Bale is no strange to pulling off incredible transformations. The Academy Award-winning actor seems to have played a role from almost every era in history at 44 years old. The upcoming film Vice is his most unrecognizable yet, as he's playing politician Dick Cheney, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and the vice president to George W. Bush during his two terms. Ahead of the trailer drop tomorrow, take a look at Bale as Cheney in this teaser:

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Writer and director of Vice Adam McKay tweeted out the first look at the biopic focusing on one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history. The short clip briefly reveals Christian Bale as the public figure in a few different stages in his life. He is hardly recognizable and does the job of bringing interest and excitement for the full trailer coming out tomorrow. After the critical and commercial success of The Big Short in 2015, the upcoming film has Bale and McCay collaborating again, this time telling the story of how the vice president's policies impacted the world. Cheney was heavily involved in the response of the Bush administration after the September 11 attacks, leading to the global war on terror.

Vice will see a variety of transformations from high profile actors, with Amy Adams as Cheney's wife Lynne, Bill Pullman as former vice president Nelson Rockefeller, Steve Carell as former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell as former President George W. Bush. The film's talented ensemble cast will likely make a good case to earn recognition just in time for awards season, as it will see a holiday release. This is Adam McKay's first directorial endeavor since The Big Short, which took on the true story of a group of investors who bet against the US mortgage market. The film was a Best Picture contender and earned $70 million domestically at the box office.

Adam McKay is best known for iconic comedy films such as Step Brothers and Anchorman, but he has shifted toward gripping audiences with incredible stories in American history. The story of Dick Cheney will interest many, as the politician's power was incredibly impactful on the world today and contributed to a shift in our culture, views and changes in relations with the Middle East. It seems like the optimum film to open some interesting conversations on United States' politics, especially concerning the reactions and decisions made after the 9/11 attacks. Vice will come to theaters on December 25, and be sure to look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what other movies are opening before the year is over.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.