He was the Dark Knight, and now he’s playing former American vice-president Dick Cheney.

Christian Bale is going in hard for an Oscar in Vice, Adam McKay’s biopic that looks into the role that Cheney played in the Bush administration.

Bale is known for going the extra mile for performances, and Vice is no different. The actor shed more than 27 kilograms for his role in The Machinist. This time around he’s put on almost 20 kilograms to play vice-president to George W. Bush.

Here’s Deadline:

The Annapurna Pictures release, which is also produced by Gary Sanchez Productions and Plan B, opens wide on Christmas Day. Until now, it has been a bit of a question mark in the Oscar race, but especially given the results from McKay’s last feature as a director, The Big Short in 2015, there does seem to be considerable upside with this one.

Check it out:

I see the Batman voice is still there.

The trailer cuts right to the point – that Cheney may have worked in the shadows, but his role on the world stage was nevertheless important. This idea is captured in the chat he has with President George W. Bush (played by Sam Rockwell) before the election:

“Well, George, I’m a CEO of a large company and I have been Secretary of Defense and I have been White House Chief of Staff,” Bale-as-Cheney explains when Bush asks him to be his running mate. “The vice presidency is a mostly symbolic job. However, if we came to a … uh … different understanding, I can handle the more mundane jobs: overseeing bureaucracy, energy, military and foreign policy.” Uncomprehendingly, Bush laughs, “Right. I like that.” And the journey begins.

If American politics is your thing, this looks right up your alley.

[source:deadline]