Batman is a role that many actors would dream of playing. Over the years,many actors have played Batmanand most of the time, it’s taken their careers to new heights and brought them to be a part of one of thebiggest franchises in history. Actors such as Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck have played Batman over the years, and now Robert Pattinson is set to appear inMatt Reeves’The Batman.
Over the years,many actors have been considered for the role, and each time the franchise is revamped, many actors audition or are contacted about the role. It’s interesting to consider the variety of actors that have been considered and the different portrayals they could have brought to the screen. Here’s a look at some actors who were almost cast as Batman.
Updated on September 14th, 2023 by Danilo Raúl:This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
10Armie Hammer
Justice League: Mortal
Armie Hammer is likely the unluckiest guy on the list, as he was actually cast as the caped crusader forGeorge Miller’s Justice League Mortal. Back in the 2000s, DC was adrift when it came to their DC slate. Batman finally made it back on the big screen after a seven-year hiatus. Superman followed suit a year later to mixed reviews, but Warner wanted to put out a Justice League film separate from their ongoing offerings.
Michele and Kiernan Mulroney submitted their script to Warner Bros. and got positive feedback. Production was set to start in Australia with the whole League being cast, sets built, and costumes ready to be worn. The 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike rolled out and killed the film’s momentum, and Hammer never got the chance to play his version of Batman.
9Joaquin Phoenix
Batman: Year One
Right after the demise of the original Batman anthology started by Tim Burton, Warner sought to revamp the character by taking it back to his dark roots. They signed up Darren Aronofsky to write and directa new film based on the Batman: Year One storyline.
Since Aronofsky was less familiar with the character than he would have liked to be, he sought the help of established comic book legend Frank Miller, who wrote the original storyline. In this wild take of the Batman mythos, we would have gotten a Batman who makes his bones much in the same way as Spider-Man, without the help of the Wayne fortune and a mentor-like figure very different from Alfred, Batman’s trusty butler. Joaquin Phoenix was the lead of choice for Aronofsky in this film, which never came to be.
8Collin Farrell
Batman vs Superman
Another early film that was deep into development with a full script completed by Akiva Goldsman and Wolfgang Petersen set to direct. The story was set to make Batman and Superman fight after Lex Luthor deceives both heroes into a confrontation, with the lives of Lois Lane and Superman’s unborn child in the line.
Collin Farrell was set to play Batman, while Jude Law was ready to play Superman. While it is unclear if the actorswere to play previous versions of the characters, this is another film with a fully formed cast until it got scrapped by the wayside in favor of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.
7Jake Gyllenhaal
Batman Begins
Every single actor in his late 20s or early 30s was a real contender when Batman Begins was being cast. Many names you are familiar with these days got to don the Batman cowl to run a screen test, given the role’s physicality. Guys like Henry Cavill did their best,but it would eventually be a close callbetween Chris Bale and Jake Gyllenhaal.
History was made with the final casting choice as the Nolan Trilogy still stands as the ultimate Batman film trilogy. Jake got a consolation prize of seeing his sister Maggie take on the role of Rachel Dawes in a more proactive and aggressive version of the character.
6Ethan Hawke
Batman Forever
Ethan Hawkewas considered for the role of Batman in 1995’sBatman Forever, which Joel Schumacher directed. The film was massively successful even though critical reviews were mixed. Val Kilmer ended up playing the titular role, with Jim Carrey co-starring as The Riddler.
Hawke was offered the role after Michael Keaton initially turned it down. Hawke feared that his starring in the film could result in typecasting, so he rejected the offer. Hawke has succeeded in many high-paced action roles such as 24 Hours to Live, so we can see how he could have succeeded as Batman.
Related:Here’s Why These Upcoming DC Movies Are So Highly Anticipated
5Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphywas considered for Christopher Nolan’s Batman inThe Dark Knighttrilogy. The franchise was hugely successful and, ultimately, the role was given to Christian Bale after Nolan considered that Bale had exactly the right balance of darkness and light for the role.
During the casting process,Murphy auditioned for the part of Bruce Wayne, but after Nolan thought Bale would be better suited, he offered Murphy the part of the Scarecrow instead. It’s easy to envision Murphy in this role as he has succeeded in many similar roles with a dark edge, like his role inPeaky Blinders.
4Josh Brolin
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Josh Brolinwas offered the role of Batman in the DCEU blockbusterBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicebefore Ben Affleck was ultimately cast. The film was released in 2016 and features a collaboration of Batman and Superman from DC Comics.
Henry Cavill stars as Superman and Ben Affleck is Batman. Several actors were considered before Affleck, including Brolin. Brolin’s success in films such asDeadpooland theAvengersfranchise makes it easy to see how he could be considered for the role and be successful as Batman.
3Nicholas Hoult
The Batman
The newest film adaptation of the Batman franchise with Matt Reeves directing and Robert Pattinson playing the titular role, almost had a whole different lead in the cowl. The film was released in March 2022. Before Pattinson was cast,Nicholas Houltwas reportedly close in the running for the role.
The movie planned to introduce a younger version of Batman, so we can see how Hoult, who had major success in action movies likeX-Men: First Classand its sequels, would succeed in this role.
2Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnanwas considered for Tim Burton’s 1989 version of the Batman franchise entitledBatman. The role ultimately went to Michael Keaton, who starred alongside Jack Nicholson who played The Joker.
Brosnan turned down the role as he didn’t want to play acharacter from a comic book. Audiences were initially skeptical of Keaton playing the role due to his experience solely in comedies until that point, so Brosnan seemed likelier.
1Heath Ledger
During the initial production ofBatman Begins,Heath Ledgerauditioned to play the titular role, but Christopher Nolanfelt that he wasn’t right for the roleat the time. Ledger was ultimately cast as The Joker inThe Dark Knight, a decision which was not well received initially by fans.
However, Nolan knew that Ledger’s potential as an actor had not been fully explored yet. Of course, his portrayal of The Joker has gone down in history as arguably the best of the villainous character, so we are glad this is the role he portrayed instead.
