They may be starring together in Oppenheimer, but apparently, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr once went head-to-head for a role in Batman Begins. In another one of those movie date things that make you feel old as shit, first we have to accept that Batman Begins is nearly 20 years old. Jesus…
While on an American Cinematheque panel this weekend, Downey Jr. revealed that he, too, was under consideration for the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA Scarecrow in the Christopher Nolan movie. That role eventually went to Murphy, who was himself up for the role of Batman but was beaten by Christian Bale.
He talks about his meeting with Nolan here:
RDJ dropping BOMBS at the @am_cinematheque conversation. He apparently met w/Nolan for SCARECROW for Batman Begins only to be beat out by Cillian Murphy. Woah! #Oppenheimer pic.twitter.com/zBE9tts47E
— Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) February 4, 2024
Batman Begins reinvigorated a franchise that was dead and buried after Batman And Robin killed it stone dead. It also built on the foundations laid by Blade, X-Men, and Raimi’s Spider-Man to help prove that comic book movies could be a legitimate art form again as long as they are treated with care and respect. It would also serve as the spark for both the MCU and the DCEU, leading to the current market saturation we see today.
The movie would win over doubters and launched both Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale firmly into the big leagues, before its success at the box office was surpassed by its own sequels.
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