Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is very popular with many fans. This also applies to the lead actor, Christian Bale. However, another actor was supposed to slip into the bat costume first.
Who is the best Batman? A question that has always bothered fans. After all, quite a few actors have already played the iconic role. For example, Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s films, Ben Affleck in the DC Extended Universe, or earlier, Adam West in the 60s series.
But Christian Bale is probably the most popular in the role. He gave Batman a new face in three films by Christopher Nolan. Namely in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Incidentally, an iconic sentence from the second part of the series still plagues Nolan to this day.
For many fans, Bale is THE Batman par excellence. But Christian Bale wasn’t the first actor Nolan wanted for the role.
German trailer for Batman The Dark Knight
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Another Hollywood star was the first choice
Who should play Batman? When such a big role is awarded in Hollywood, it’s rare that only a single actor is considered. In the case of Batman, various stars also auditioned.
Christopher Nolan initially had a clear favorite. He was talking about Jake Gyllenhaal. Most people probably know the actor from films like Donnie Darko, Prisoners or Nightcrawler. Most recently he starred in the remake of Road House.
He was the one Nolan wanted for Batman first. Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer remembers the time when they were looking for a suitable actor:
We talked about everything. There were a number of people who had done test recordings and I had advocated for Gyllenhaal.
David S. Goyer via Happy, Sad, Confused
Jake Gyllenhaal also did a screen test to see if he was right for the role. According to screenwriter Goyer, he would have made a very different Batman, but wouldn’t necessarily have been worse than Bale.
However, it is unclear why exactly the creative minds behind the film series ultimately chose Bale. At least they managed to establish a new, modern Batman in the cinema.
From almost superhero to villain
What happened next for Jake Gyllenhaal? So the actor didn’t get the coveted role of the dark avenger. Over the years he has played various, often quite complex characters.
However, he did pay a visit to the superhero genre in 2019. He starred in Spider-Man: Far from Home for DC’s competitor, Marvel. Gyllenhaal can be seen in it as the villain Mysterio.
In contrast to Batman, in this role he made life difficult for the hero. Maybe he can be seen in it again in the future. He probably won’t become Batman again – especially not under the direction of Christopher Nolan. The director is particularly enthusiastic about three actors – but Bale is not among them.