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It ’s unvoiced to believe that it ’s been over two years since Ben Affleck was cast as the latest resilient - action incarnation of the Dark Knight inBatman V Superman : Dawn of Justice . With the motion-picture show less than six month aside from its March vent engagement , expectancy for the eighth ( yes , we ’re counting Lewis G. Wilson and Robert Lowrey from the serials ) bountiful - screenland Batman is at an all - time high . consultation will shortly find out whether the casting of Affleck was truly as apocalyptical as the Internet led them to believe .
The conclusion to bring Affleck into the Bat Family was monstrously controversial , but considering the part ’s casting history , it should n’t have surprise as much as it did . Few could have ever anticipate George Clooney or Val Kilmer landing the role , and the selection of Michael Keaton umbrageous legions of fans . It was inevitable : no matter who was tapped to make for Batman in Zack Snyder ’s quasi - sequel toMan of Steel , the actor would have had his clean contribution of detractors . In every depiction of the fibre to date , countless others have been considered , and inevitably found to be unworthy .
While we wait to see which side of the Keaton / Clooney fence Affleck ’s Batman lands on , let ’s take a smell ( in reverse - chronological order ) at13 doer Who Almost Played Batman .
Josh Brolin
Although 2013’sMan of Steelreceived definitely mixed reviews , it raise to be the fiscal impinge on that Warner Bros. was face for , tallying over $ 668 million at the global box part . After Superman had managed to defeat his strong-arm equal ( General Zod ) in the film , director Zack Snyder decided that his next opponent could be none other than Batman himself . With Christopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy having reached its conclusion , a replacement for Christian Bale was sought . Among thoserumored to be under considerationwereHobbitstars Luke Evans and Richard Armitage , as well asAmerican Horror Story ’s Wes Bentley , who sources have claimed was Nolan ’s commend selection .
But no one come nearer to shore the part than recentSicariostar Josh Brolin , who has since confirmedthat he was indeed in the running for the part . After talk over the role with Snyder , the two mutually agreed that it was n’t the right fit , and Snyder went on to activate sports fan outrage and cast Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader .
Brolin ’s casting likely would have been far less internet - breaking , as he was a long - sentence fan - front-runner for the role . The slightly undersize ( he ’s 5’10 ) 47 class old almost sure as shooting could have embodied the ominous intensity of a masked vigilance man — and he definitely has the right chinfor the cowl — but whether or not he could have draw off Bruce Wayne ’s billionaire playboy facade is a doubt we ’ll likely never see answer .
Armie Hammer
Few of the actors on our list came closer to bring the Dark Knight to life than Hammer did . Back in 2007 , when Nolan’sTDKseries was still very much ongoing , George Miller ’s infamously doomedJustice League : Mortalwas greenlit by Warner Bros. The then - nameless Hammer was script - picked by Miller to encounter Batman , and yield made it all the way to costume meet before the film was officially canceled , due in great part to the succeeder of 2008’sThe Dark Knight . We may just get to see how Hammer await in the Batsuit in the very near future , thanks to an upcoming documentary on the film that ’s set to be madeas before long as Warner Bros. gives its blessing .
It would appear that everything worked out for the best in this scenario . Hammer has gone on to savor a satisfying , cape - less vocation , and it seems he simply was n’t a great fit for the role . By the timeMortalwould have actually begun filming , Hammer would have been only 21 years older . And even with a healthy Lucy in the sky with diamonds of movie magic , the 6’5 Hammer would have towered over the film ’s Superman , coiffe to be played by the 5’10 DJ Cotrona . Miller , of course , is reaping the benefit of the biggest directorial hit of his career , Mad Max : Fury Road . He may even get a shooter at a DC movie somewhere down the transmission line , ifZack Snyder has anything to say about it .
Hammer since gone on record as saying that he “ would have made a unspeakable Batman . ” The now-29 year sure-enough may not have been an ideal choice for that particular Justice Leaguer , but we here at Screen Rant thinkhe could make for a marvellous Shazam .
Jake Gyllenhaal
Having been in the running for the star role in several failed Batman projects , Christian Bale was considered the front - runner forBatman Beginsfrom the kickoff . Nevertheless , director Christopher Nolan cast a wide net when he first board the project back in former 2003 , take on with a phone number of talented young doer , including Joshua Jackson , Billy Crudup , Hugh Dancy , Eion Bailey , and succeeding Superman Henry Cavill . Surprisingly , it was the then-23 year sure-enough Jake Gyllenhaal that was viewed as Bale ’s main contest for the ness and hood .
easily know at the clock time for playing the troubled teenage lead inDonnie Darko , Gyllenhaal was one of the youngest actors up for the role , and was in reality writer David Goyer ’s personal darling . But the decision was at last Nolan ’s , and Bale was eventually given the nod . Over a decennium subsequently , after having established himself as a dramatic personnel in films likeEnd of Watch , Prisoners , andNightcrawler , Gyllenhaal was offered a lead use in another DC film , Suicide Squad , a role heelected to pass on . He was even a rumored prospect for Batman back whenBatman V Supermanwas still search for its Dark Knight . Perhaps theDemolitionstar has lost interest in the superhero musical genre ?
Cillian Murphy
While Gyllenhaal was regard Bale ’s number one Batman challenger forBegins , Murphy was also asked to audition for the role . Though the28 Days Laterstar did n’t feel that he was the good fit for the part , he leap at the chance to exercise with music director Christopher Nolan . Murphy ( along with Bale and fellow contender Eion Bailey ) blind try out in Val Kilmer ’s older Batsuit fromBatman Foreveropposite future Lois Lane Amy Adams , who was there as a favor to the motion picture ’s casting director . Murphy impress Nolan so much that the director successfully campaigned for the actor to be shake off as Jonathan Crane , a.k.a . Scarecrow , in the pic .
Of course , Murphy did n’t seem to have quite the right look for the type , but he proved to be an spectacular villain , one that made memorable visual aspect in each ofBegins ' sequel . Murphy has enjoyed a fine career in the years since , but one ca n’t help but wonder what doors might have open for the actor had he been take to portray the Caped Crusader .
If you have n’t already , be sure to go over out Murphy and Bailey ’s screen tests onTheDark Knight TrilogyUltimate Collector ’s Edition Blu - Ray .
Heath Ledger
As antecedently mention , Christopher Nolan met with a figure of talented young worker for the starring use inBatman Begins , but none more surprising than the future Clown Prince of Crime himself , Heath Ledger . Ledger turned down the opportunity to don the cape and cowl , telling the manager that he ‘ would never take part in a superhero movie . ’ He was evidently impress with Nolan ’s piece of work onBegins , as he jumped at the chance at playing the Joker in the subsequence , ratify on long before the first draft of the hand was completed . As we all know , Ledger went on to give a once - in - a - lifespan carrying into action in the film , a nefarious turn that realize him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar roughly one year after his tragic expiry at the years of 28 .
At the time , Ledger was patently not a guy you would ever cogitate of to dally Batman , but then , you in all likelihood never would have thought of him for the Joker either . The intensity of the rebound to the decision to cast the Australian as Batman ’s arch - scourge rival that ofany superhero casting , from Keaton to Affleck . But ifThe Dark Knighttaught us anything , it ’s that Ledger sincerely was capable of anything . He may very well have made for a all right Batman .
Clint Eastwood
Before Nolan ’s vision was given the gullible light , Warner Bros. entertained several tarradiddle thought from filmmakers for the next Batman movie . Director Boaz Yakin ( ofRemember the Titansfame ) almost start out a live - actionBatman Beyondadaptation off the ground , and Wolfgang Petersen ( Troy ) pitched a Batman vs. Superman film that would have starred Christian Bale or Colin Farrell as the Dark Knight , had the task not fallen apart . Joss Whedon was even in the mix at one point .
One of the pitches that ’s made a lasting mark was the one made by futureNoahdirector Darren Aronofsky . newly off the impulse of his breakout dramaPi , Aronofsky sought to make his own version of the far-famed beginning story , Batman : Year One , one that saw an orphan , penniless Bruce Wayne fighting criminal offence out of a Lincoln Continental . Having been previously interested in aDark Knight Returnsadaptation , Aronofsky told the studio apartment in the pitching meeting that Clint Eastwood was his first choice for Batman . How serious he was about casting the then-70 year old Eastwood is unknown .
Aronofsky later saw the incredibly - obvious light and approached Bale ( sensing a design here ) for the part , but Eastwood ’s connectedness with the case was cemented . Three or four decades earlier , hemay have been the perfect choicefor a grittier take on the withstander of Gotham . At the time , however , Eastwood ’s old age could only have allowed him to portray the elderly translation of the character see in theBatman Beyondanimated serial . Now THAT is something we ’d love to see .
Ethan Hawke
Before the Batman franchise was forced to stand its well - documented eight class long stint in cinematic purgatory , Bob Hope were high for the third instalment in the modern film series , 1995’sBatman eternally . Though managing director Tim Burton ’s 1989Batmanfilm was a huge success , its critically well - received sequel , Batman Returns , make nearly $ 150 million less at the box office . The folks over at Warner Bros. feel that a more family - friendly approach shot would appeal to a wider audience , so they parted ways with Burton and rank Joel Schumacher at the helm . AsForever ’s definitely lighter tone begin to take shape , star Michael Keatonopted out of the dealership — leaving $ 15 million on the table — and the search for the next grown - screen Batman was on .
Among those considered for the persona was up - and - arriver Ethan Hawke , best known at the time for his performances inDead Poets SocietyandWhite Fang . Hawke actually sour down the role , fearing it would hurt his credibility as an actor . Years by and by , Hawke would express regret over this decision , saying , " I wish I ’d done it , because I could have used it to do other things . " Hawke has enjoyed a completely respectable career in the year since , but surely he ’s expend some time contemplate the road not fill .
William Baldwin
Hawke of course was not the only actor up to put back Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader . One of the bigger name ( at the time ) associated with the role was none other thanBackdraftstar William Baldwin , whose old chum Alec had been considered for Tim Burton ’s firstBatmanfilm . According to the young Baldwin , Schumacher counted him among his top choices for the part before Val Kilmer was choose , along with Daniel Day - Lewis , Ralph Fiennes , and Kilmer . The then-30 yr old actor would have been an … interesting choice .
Two years later , after Kilmer declined to return to the franchise , Baldwin once again find himself on Schumacher ’s radar . say Baldwin:“The next meter , when George Clooney did it , [ Schumacher ] said , ' You were on my original short leaning with those other three role player , but the studio lead with Val and this time I ’d like to go with you . ‘“Clooney later landed the part and proceeded to start the character into the background , but with the hand and direction he was given , it ’s voiceless to imagine that Baldwin would have fared any in effect .
old age subsequently , Baldwin have a solace prize of form , providing the interpreter acting for Batman in the 2010 animated film , Crisis on Two Earths .
Johnny Depp
When Tim Burton maltreat down as the director of the Batman pic franchise , he elected to stay on in a producing purpose , a factoid that make Depp ’s comprehension on this listing a bit less surprising . The two had already worked together onEdward ScissorhandsandEd Wood , and would go on to collaborate on six additional films as a director / star combo for the historic period . Unconfirmed reports state that Burton suggested the then-30 year old Depp for the part , but that nothing ever came of it .
Depp ’s connexion with the character did n’t end there , however . After the winner of Christopher Nolan ’s 2008 pic , The Dark Knight , fans lobby severely for the actor to play the Riddler in the subsequence , though Warner Bros. reportedly wanted Leonardo DiCaprio for the role . When asked at the clip if he was interested , Depp responded , " If the opportunity came , I ’d decidedly juggle it . " Despite his patent interest , Depp finally did not look inThe Dark Knight Rises , nor did the Riddler .
Could Depp have pulled the role off 20 years ago ? crazy things have fall out , and at the very least , it would seem that theBlack Massstar sure as shooting could have convincingly present the World ’s Greatest Detective aspect of the role .
Mel Gibson
When Tim Burton first boarded the project that would become his 1989 film , Batman , Warner Bros. clearly pushed for a major military action ikon to asterisk in what they regard to be a gamey - risk endeavor . A who ’s who of A - leaning actors were reckon , include Harrison Ford , Kevin Costner , Tom Hanks , Dennis Quaid , Tom Selleck , Charlie Sheen , and Willem Dafoe ( who was not view for Batman ’s archenemy , The Joker , contrary to popular belief ) . One of the more popular candidates wasLethal Weaponstar Mel Gibson , who was reportedly the studio ’s top choice . Having latterly conclude his star - makingMad Maxtrilogy , Gibson was one of the hottest young endowment in Hollywood , and appeared to be a rude paroxysm for the part .
Burton ’s decision to cast Michael Keaton — who had antecedently been eccentric - cast in comedic use — sparkle Affleck - level outrage with Batman fans , who send over 50,000 letters to Warner Bros. anticipate for the duad ’s head . Burton later commented on the matter , explicate that he felt Keaton possessed an " explosive , mad side , " a quality we now know that Gibson has in spades . Hindsight ’s 20/20 , though .
