One of the more revered actors of the twenty-first century, Christian Bale is known just as well for his mainstream successes as he is for his more independent roles. His first major role came as the infamous Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2000). It’s one he’s still widely known for, but since, he’s worked with a who’s-who of Hollywood filmmakers.

No matter the role — large or small, dramatic or comedic — directors around the world would love to cast Christian Bale in their films. Only a handful of directors have managed to do so, and even fewer have worked with him multiple times. These are the directors who’ve worked with Christian Bale on more than one occasion.

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7 Todd Haynes - 2 Collaborations

     Endgame Entertainment

With Velvet Goldmine (1998), Todd Haynes worked with Bale before the latter became a superstar. Then, with I’m Not There (2007), the roles were reversed — Bale collaborated again with Haynes even after his extreme financial success.

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Neither of the aforementioned collaborations managed to hit home with audiences, but I’m Not There is definitely notable if not just for Cate Blanchett’s award-winning portrayal of Bob Dylan. The movie followed Dylan throughout various stages of his life, and he was played by six different thespians throughout the film’s runtime. Bale was one of the six, and he performed as well as any fan might expect.

6 James Mangold - 2 Collaborations

     Lionsgate

Thanks to Ford v Ferrari (2019), Bale was nominated for Best Actor at both the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes. He would lose both to Joaquin Phoenix for his performance in Joker (2019), though.

That was the second collaboration between Bale and director James Mangold. Their first project was 3:10 to Yuma (2007), one of the definitive westerns of the twenty-first century. A remake, Mangold’s version arguably outshone the original. Bale played Dan Evans, a good-guy cowboy opposite Russel Crowe’s villainous Ben Wade, and their chemistry was just wonderful.

5 Adam McKay - 2 Collaborations

     Paramount Pictures

Though typically a director of comedies that star Will Ferrell — such as Step Brothers (2008) and The Other Guys (2010) — Adam McKay has been working outside his comfort zones as of late. Well, to an extent. Both The Big Short (2015) and Vice (2018) feature their own degree of comedy, but when Christian Bale is in front of the camera, genre categorization almost goes out the window.

Bale was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The Big Short, and garnered another nomination for Vice — that time, though, for Best Actor. While neither of these films may be the most popular of either man’s career, this collaboration has provided Bale with half of his total Oscar nominations. There’s something to be said for that.

4 Scott Cooper - 3 Collaborations

     Entertainment Studios

Although he’s not a household name, Scott Cooper is a recognizable Hollywood director to hardcore film fans, and that’s in part thanks to his partnership with Christian Bale. Their first two films released last decade: Out of the Furnace (2013) and Hostiles (2017). And just last week, their third film The Pale Blue Eye (2022) came out in select theaters.

Three collaborations with Christian Bale sounds like a dream come true for any director, but unfortunately for Cooper, this partnership has resulted in mediocre review scores and consistent bombs at the box office. In total, their three movies were built on a $133 million budget, but only accrued $51.5 million. Not the best statistic for their placement on this list, but an interesting fact nonetheless.

3 Terrence Malick - 3 Collaborations

     New Line Cinema

Throughout a twelve-year period, Christian Bale collaborated with Terrence Malick on three occasions: first, The New World (2005). A decade later came Knight of Cups (2015), and shortly after that, they released Song to Song (2017). Those three films have respective Rotten Tomatoes scores of 63, 47, and 44 — an average approval rating of 51.3%.

That isn’t great, obviously, but what went wrong? These are two juggernauts of the industry, with Malick having directed award-nominated hits like Days of Heaven (1978), The Thin Red Line (1998), and The Tree of Life (2011). Maybe they’ll improve if they ever collaborate again.

2 David O. Russel - 3 Collaborations

While Adam McKay directed Bale to two Oscar nominations, David O. Russell led him to one nomination on top of a win. As Dicky Ecklund in The Fighter (2010), Bale won Best Supporting Actor across the board — the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Golden Globes. You name it.

The second nomination came with American Hustle (2013), also the second total product of their legendary teamwork. It featured an ensemble cast, and Bale arguably stole the show. The pair collaborated once more in 2022 with Amsterdam, and while it’s far less-revered critically than their other projects, The Fighter and American Hustle balance out the quality.

1 Christopher Nolan - 4 Collaborations

     Touchstone Pictures

Most readers likely knew the names Terrence Malick and David O. Russel. There’s no denying, though, that when you clicked on this article, the first name to materialize in your thoughts was Christopher Nolan. Of course, this powerhouse of an English-Hollywood duo turned in one of the more popular film franchises of all time with The Dark Knight trilogy (2005 – 2012).

Plus, they gave us one of the decade’s more underrated projects: The Prestige (2006). Co-starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale showed up in spades as a professional magician in the nineteenth century, determined to set himself apart from the rest and cement his name in history. If you’ve never seen it, that should be the perfect capstone for this list. Go check it out.