From Heath Ledger to Josh Brolin: Ten actors who were almost cast as Batman
A look at the actors who almost made it as the Caped Crusader.
Heath Ledger
Before he was cast as the diabolical Joker, Heath Ledger was approached by director Christopher Nolan to play the Caped Crusader. However, the actor turned down this offer, saying, "I would never take a part in a superhero film."
Credit: Twitter
1/9
Mel Gibson
Michael Keaton played Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 directorial, but the casting choice did not go down well with fans. Guess who was the director's first choice? The one and only, Mel Gibson. Unfortunately, the actor could not take up the role because he was busy with Lethal Weapon 2.
2/9
Nicholas Hoult
After Matt Reeves was announced as director of The Batman, Nicholas Hoult was in the short list of the actors considered for the role along with Robert Pattinson.
3/9
Josh Brolin
The Thanos actors was one of the contenders to play the Caped Crusader in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman. In one interview, the actor said he was "glad" he didn't land the role, which was ultimately given to Ben Affleck.
4/9
Cillian Murphy
Cillian Murphy had auditioned to play Bruce Wayne/Batman for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, but instead ended up playing Dr Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow in the trilogy.
5/9
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan, who crafted his legacy with the iconic James Bond role, was offered Tim Burton's Batman. He rejected the role, and in an interview revealed how the conversation went down with the director: "Batman held such an indelible place in my own childhood, but I said something flippant to Tim Burton like, ‘Any guy who wears his underpants outside his trousers cannot be taken seriously.’"
6/9
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke was pursued by Warner Bros to portray the superhero in Batman Forever, but the actor turned down the role citing fear of being typecast.
7/9
Jake Gyllenhaal
Among the names considered to play the titular role in Batman Begins was Jake Gyllenhaal, but Christian Bale was the one who scored this deal.
8/9
Willem Dafoe
Though a lot of DC fans have widely wanted Willem Dafoe to play Joker, for he has proved himself as an actor by playing different shades of crazed and deranged, he was also a candidate for Batman.