MovieChat Forums > Batman Begins (2005) Discussion > Actors who were considered to play Batma...

Actors who were considered to play Batman in this film


-Cillian Murphy - A great actor, IMO he wasn't a good fit for the Batman role, but he was able to pull off Scarecrow.
-Hugh Dancy - Can't see it
-Joshua Jackson - More Pacy than Bats, but had he been cast in this, it woud have been a Dawson's reunion between him and Katie Holmes.
-Josh Hartnett - Could have happened in any way but to me he wouldn't have been a good fit
-Heath Ledger - More Joker than Batman in my mind
-Henry Cavill - More Superman than Batman
-Billy Crudup - Just can't picture him as Batman
-Jake Gyllenhaal - May have been the closest actors out of these names who could have pulled it off and the dude is capable of pulling off any role.
-David Boreanez - Not a bad choice
-Eion Bailey - Looked at his audition and he would have made a good Bruce Wayne
-Ashton Kutcher - The worst choice for the part and I'm glad Nolan didn't go with that casting decision.
-Joaquin Pheonix - Was considered by Darren Aronofsky in the early stages, can't say if he could have been good or bad as Phoenix is able to play dark roles really well and he was great as the Joker.
-Freddie Prinze - A name that was considered by Warner Bros in the early stages, but I would think of this casting idea as a red flag.
-Guy Pearce - Heard his name a few times linked to the role and he was once considered for Ra's Al Ghul, but was deemed too youg. Still Pearce could have played any Batman character in a Nolan movie had the right opportunity came at the time.
-John Cusack - Heard about him being linked to the role, but to be honest, Cusack would have been too old and a bit boring to play the character.

Overall, I'm gad that Nolan went with somebody like Christian Bale to play the role.

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Jake Gyllenhaal would've been awful as Batman. There's something about his face that just wouldn't fit.

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Guy Pearce would have done a good job.

So would David Boreanez.

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David Boreanez is the guy I would have chosen for it. He pretty much already played the perfect batman throughout his time playing Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as on the spinoff centered around his character.

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That dude looks like he belongs in a boy band. Hell no.

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whatever dude. he's my pick because he showed he could do martial arts well enough for the Batman Role, and he'd be decent enough at the Bruce Wayne character too.

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Out of that list, I'd go with Phoenix or Crudup. Phoenix would best work with a weird take on Batman, though. Crudup could have done more of a "straight-up" Batman.

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Josh Hartnett could had worked. Surprised they never considered Jim Caviezel or Thomas Jane.

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Yeah of all these choices Boreanez and Pearce would have been the best fits for the role. Especially since what Boreanez did on Angel was very similar to Batman.

Murphy, Ledger, and Phoenix all better suited for villain roles. Hugh Dancy is a fantastic actor but not for Bruce Wayne. Prinze, Hartnett, Kutcher, and Cusack are all terrible choices. Prinze was also considered for Raimi's Spiderman which wouldn't have worked either. I like Jackson, and Cavill but not the right fits as pointed out.

And I gotta disagree on Gyllenhaal. IMO Jake didn't become interesting until Nightcrawler. He was fine in Brokeback but Ledger carried that movie. But Jake via 2005 would have been such a bland, miscast for Batman. I know many will disagree but I just don't see it.

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