According to new reports from a traditionally reliable source, Christian Bale is in talks to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the new Justice League movie.

There’s more.

Apparently, the film execs are hoping to set the film within the gritty, realistic world of Bale’s Dark Knight trilogy, which meshes with this more down-to-earth take on this summer’s The Man of Steel (which some are reporting as the “best film of the year.”)

There’s more.

Zack Snyder is rumored to be directing the Justice League film. As the director of the Man of Steel, Snyder could ensure a tonal consistency between the Superman and Justice League movie, and more importantly (if the Man of Steel is as solid as people are saying), could help elevate the film’s quality.

Still more.

Christopher Nolan is said to be overseeing all of the DC universe now, and would be ushering in this Justice League movie. Since everything the man touches seems to turn to gold, this could only be a positive development. Plus, who better to oversee a project that returns to his Gotham than him?

So let’s recap. Christian Bale is reportedly considering reprising his role as Batman for a Justice League movie, putting him and new Superman Henry Cavill in the same movie that takes place in the same universe as their established franchises. To me, this is just as exciting as uniting the different Marvel properties in The Avengers, and would be a monumental accomplishment for DC.

Some would argue that the two franchises won’t mix well, as Batman is too grounded. I’d argue…isn’t that the point? Wouldn’t that fact alone make the film, and the characters, extremely compelling? How would Batman react to an entity that directly contradicts the (mostly) stark realism of his world? And wouldn’t that make the gravitas and dynamic between the two that much more deeply entrenched? You can fabricate the classic head-butting of these two juggernaut characters…or you could let your franchise and world do the work for you, providing an inherent foundation on which the characters would build their relationship from.

I’d like to reiterate that although it comes from a reliable source, these are still firmly rumors. Even if fact, Bale is simply in talks, and could obviously turn down the role. Still, it’s hard not to imagine how epic this deal could be, and fantasize about a future where an iconic Justice League faces off against the established Avengers in a 2015 box office duel.

Here’s hoping.