7 best actors who almost played Batman (and 2 who should have)
Colin Farrell
- Age: 47
- Most Notable Roles: The Lobster, In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin, Horrible Bosses
- Awards: Nominated for 1 Academy Award
Though Colin Farrell started his acting career with less-than-stellar action movies, he’s had a resurgence in recent years and has worked with some of the best directors of our time, including Martin McDonagh, Sofia Coppola, and Yorgos Lanthimos. And while he’s recently joined the DC universe by portraying the Penguin in The Batman, he also once had a shot at playing the one and only Bruce Wayne.
About two decades ago, Wolfgang Petersen signed on to direct a Batman vs. Superman movie which was set to release in 2004, as reported by Newsweek. However, after going through developmental hell, the project was eventually dropped. It was reported that actors like Farrell, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and even Christian Bale were considered for the role of Batman, but the movie fell through.
Farrell is a great actor who’s finally getting his well-earned praise nowadays, leaving me to wonder just what his Batman portrayal could’ve looked like.
Cillian Murphy
- Age: 47
- Most Notable Roles: Inception, The Dark Knight, 28 Days Later, Oppenheimer
- Awards: Nominated for 1 Golden Globe
Oh, Cillian Murphy. Like all of the actors on this list, I absolutely love him! Breaking onto the scene with Danny Boyle’s cult classic 28 Days Later in 2002, the Irish actor has appeared in several blockbuster movies but had yet to play the lead in one until this year, with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. While promoting the movie this summer, Murphy recalled trying out for the role of Batman in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, ultimately scoring the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow.
"“I think it was for the best because we got Christian Bale’s performance, which is a stunning interpretation of that role,” Murphy told GQ on losing out on the role. “I never considered myself as the right physical specimen for Batman.”"
Nolan also reflected on the casting this year while doing a joint interview with Murphy for Entertainment Weekly, explaining that studios want big movie stars to portray Batman villains, which Murphy wasn’t at the time. But everyone was so impressed by his screen test, his casting for Scarecrow was an easy sell.
Murphy is best known for portraying Tom Shelby in the BBC/Netflix series Peaky Blinders, which landed him a BAFTA Award nomination.