Christian Bale passed on an offer to star in the film from Scott Free Productions "Child 44," a person close to the negotiations confirmed.

"The Dark Knight Rises" actor met with the filmmakers, including director Daniel Espinosa, on Tuesday to discuss his decision to not take part in the film, according to TheWrap. 

Ridley Scott is producing the film set to come out in 2015, which is based on the novel with the same name by Tom Rob Smith published in 2008. 

Set in the 1950s, around the Stalin era of the Soviet Union, the story revolves around lawyer Leo Demidov, his investigation into a series of child murders and the government target that he ultimately becomes. The book is based on the true story of the Ukrainian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted of and executed for 52 murders in the Soviet Union. "Child 44" is the first book in the trilogy, followed by "The Secret Speech" and "Agent 44."

The movie itself has sat in production since 2007, Empire Online reported. The book was optioned in 2007 before it was even released in bookstores the following year. 

Bale starred in three Batman movies starting with 2005's "Batman Begins" and this year's "The Dark Knight Rises." He won an Oscar in 2011 for his role in "The Fighter." Bale followed in the footsteps of other Batman actors taking on the role as the Gotham hero, including Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. "The Dark Knight Rises" came out in July and was directed by Christopher Nolan.

Forbes noted back in September that the cumulative ticket sales for the director's movies at Warner Bros. tops $3.5 billion. Additionally, $3.276 billion of that figure comes from just the last five years, from the success of Nolan's "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Inception." 

Tags: Christian Bale Ridley Scott