Christian Bale’s latest film, The Deep Blue Good-By, has been put on hold after he tore a ligament in his knee.

The big-screen adaptation of John D MacDonald’s mystery adventure books has been suspended by 20th Century Fox, because the shoot would have been too “physically intensive” for the star.

Christian Bale (Michael Sohn/AP)
Christian Bale (Michael Sohn/AP)

The Dark Knight Rises actor, 41, tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) just before he was due to shoot Paramount’s financial drama, The Big Short, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Christian was to star as Travis McGee, an ex-soldier acting as an investigator, in The Deep Blue Good-By, which The Wolverine’s James Mangold was set to direct.

Peter Dinklage (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Peter Dinklage (Evan Agostini/Invision)

The thriller, which also has Peter Dinklage and Nicola Peltz attached, was due to start shooting in May, in Florida and Puerto Rico.

It is uncertain what will happen with the movie now, with some sources claiming that the studio is looking for another lead. Others say it is just delayed until Christian recovers from his injury.

It is the latest setback for the film, which has been in development since the late 1990s.

Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Oliver Stone and Paul Greengrass had been linked to direct the film, while Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt were set to star at one point.