Cillian Murphy, who won the best actor Oscar for Oppenheimer, apparently tried to be the Dark Knight in Batman Begins.
Over the years, Cillian Murphy has become one of the most famous actors in the world. His latest film, Oppenheimer, a box office and critical success, earned him an Oscar for Best Actor and further recognition. But the Cork-born actor was previously famous for his roles in series such as Peak Blinders or films such as Incarnation or Dunkirk, both previously directed by Christopher Nolan.
The Irish actor starred in a number of other Nolan films, most notably the Dark Knight trilogy. In them he played Jonathan Crane, a character known by his supervillain alias, The Scarecrow. In the first film, Batman Begins (the two’s first collaboration), Crane’s role was secondary, albeit of some importance, but in the next two films, his presence was almost the story. What many don’t know is that Murphy could have been Batman instead of one of his villainous killers in the said movie.
Cillian Murphy could be Batman.
Christian Bale seemed like the perfect man to play Gotham’s superhero, but he wasn’t the only actor considered to play the Dark Knight. Cillian Murphy was one of the actors who participated in the audition, and even tried on the Batman costume. In the end, all this is nothing more than temptations and the actor played The Scarecrow. There are videos of actors in said experiments.
If you’re wondering why the idea of the actor playing Thomas Shelby playing the masked vigilante was dropped, Nolan had his reasons. In an interview with Deadline, Murphy explained that he “wasn’t physically fit at the time” for the role, as Batman is supposed to be in perfect physical condition. He also emphasized in the interview that they tested all the actors like Bruce Wayne and The Masked Defender, but none of them had what makes Christian Bale special.
Although the Irish actor did not get such a popular role, he did not leave empty-handed. The actor got the role of one of his most famous villains as he was a recurring character in his films.
Can you imagine the trials of the Dark Knight played by Cillian Murphy? No doubt the films could have been very different. In any case, no one can deny that the Irish actor made a decision not to give that role, because his acting career is flawless and he managed to become the actor of the moment.