Following the demise of the Batman franchise at the hands of Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, and before Warner Bros. had decided to let Bryan Singer make Superman Returns, his homage to Richard Donner and Christopher Reeves, German director Wolfgang Petersen was tapped to bring both of DC's powerhouses together in one movie: Batman vs. Superman!
On Petersen's short list of actors--down to just two, actually--was none other than Christian Bale, the actor comic book fans have come to know and love as the gruff-voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise.
Just how close did Batman vs. Superman come to being made? Petersen recently told MTV:
"It was pretty close. And then the studio got a single Superman script I think from J.J. Abrams at that time, and [Warner Bros. chief] Alan Horn was so torn – because it’s such a fascinating concept to do a Batman versus Superman film. And I still think it would be to do that. But the studio decided to try separate versions of Superman and Batman, and then maybe think about down the road if you want to bring them together in one film."
But, Petersen has no regrets. Warner Bros. offered him Troy after Batman vs. Superman fell through and he said that he really enjoys Nolan's take on Batman:
"I loved Dark Knight! I was completely sucked into it, blown away by it. I thought right away it deserved an Academy Award for Best Picture, and I was really disappointed that it didn’t get it. I thought Heath Ledger was just phenomenal. I am a big fan of that movie."
And, who was the other actor in contention for the role of Superman? None other than Josh Hartnett!