As we know, several actors read for the lead role in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins before Christian Bale landed the part, and some of them even screen-tested in the Bat-suit - including the man who would go on to play Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the movie.
Footage of Cillian Murphy performing a scene in Val Kilmer's Batman Forever costume (with Man of Steel's Amy Adams reading as Rachel Dawes) was officially released as a special feature on the Dark Knight trilogy 2013 box set, and the A Quiet Place Part II actor has now looked back on his brief brush with playing the Caped Crusader.
“I don’t believe I was close to landing that role,” admits Murphy when asked about his screen test during an interview with THR. “The only actor who was right for that part at that time, in my estimation, was Christian Bale, and he absolutely smashed it. So, for me, it was just an experience, and then it turned into something else. It turned into that character, Scarecrow, and it turned into a working relationship with Chris. So, I think back very, very fondly on that time, but I never, ever, ever considered myself Bruce Wayne material.”
Murphy did indeed become a fixture in Nolan's filmography, reprising his Scarecrow role for The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, before going on to appear in Inception and Dunkirk.
Do you think Murphy would have made a good Batman? You can check out footage from his screen test below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.