Cillian Murphy is an actor’s actor. With numerous applause worthy performances, he has made a mark in Hollywood – whether as Thomas Shelby, the Scarecrow, or his recent portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the Christopher Nolan biopic. His partnership with Nolan began back in 2005, when he auditioned for the titular role in Batman Begins. Although he did not get the part, it became the origin of a professional relationship that is envied by many.
Even though Murphy did not play Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, he was not completely out of it either. The British director cast him as Scarecrow – one of the villains from Batman’s rogue gallery – and Murphy reprised the part in all three movies of the trilogy. Recently, the audition tape of Cillian Murphy trying out for the role of Batman became public, and the audience has a few things to say about that.
Cillian Murphy’s Batman Audition Tape Goes Public
Cillian Murphy was only 29 years of age, when Batman Begins came out in 2005. He was a little younger than Christian Bale, 32 at the time of the movie’s release, but looked way younger in retrospect. Although, it is not to say, that given he had bulked up for the role like Bale did, maybe Murphy could have been a good fit for the role as well.
But for better or for worse, the part eventually went to Christian Bale, who gave a phenomenal performance as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. And the trilogy, till date, is considered one of the very best in the genre.
The audition tape of Cillian Murphy trying out for the role of Batman was made public, years after the trilogy came to an end. He tried on Val Kilmer’s Batsuit and also screen-tested as Bruce Wayne with a couple of dialogues.
But, in its totality, he did not really look the part – and everyone involved – Murphy, Nolan, and seemingly the audience – agrees. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Christopher Nolan spoke of his first meeting with Murphy and how they both knew the actor was not the right fit for Batman.
“When we had our first conversation, I think both of us knew that you weren’t going to wind up playing Batman. But I really wanted to get on set with you, I wanted to get you on film. We did those screen tests very elaborately, on 35mm, with a little set. There was just an electric atmosphere in the crew when you started to perform.”
Nolan further added that the reason he had Murphy do a sreen test was so that he could cast him as Scarecrow.
“We did two scenes — there was a Bruce Wayne scene and a Batman scene — and I made sure that executives came down and watched what you were doing on set. Everybody was so excited by watching you perform that when I then said to them, ‘Okay, Christian Bale is Batman, but what about Cillian to play Scarecrow?’ there was no dissent. All the previous Batman villains had been played by huge movie stars: Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey, that kind of thing. That was a big leap for them, and it really was purely on the basis of that test. So that’s how you got to play Scarecrow.”
Christopher Nolan was right on the mark, and the audition video was enough for the executives to cast Cillian Murphy in the movie to play the villain.
Cillian Murphy Did Not Think He Was Fit to Play Batman, And The Audience Agrees
Cillian Murphy himself has said a couple of times that he knew right away that the character was not meant for him. He also admired Bale’s performance in the movie and thought he was perfect for the role. During the same EW interview, Murphy said:
“It was clear to me from the beginning that I wasn’t Batman material. It felt to me that it was correct and right that it should be Christian Bale for that part. But I remember the buzz of trying on the suit and being directed by you. Those tests were high production values.”
And now, with the audition tape out in the wild, the audience seems to agree that Christian Bale was definitely the right fit for Batman, and that Nolan made the right choice in casting him instead of Cillian Murphy in the lead role.
Cillian Murphy is a national hero, but let's be honest, Christopher Nolan made the right choice casting Christian Bale as Batman. pic.twitter.com/ClJNDwcFgY
— 💪🎭..Rai ji..💪🎭 (@Vinod_r108) March 25, 2024
He's one of Ireland's best, but yes this would have a been a weird casting decision IMO
— Grandmaster Trash: Exact Trash Only (@ExactTrashOnly) March 26, 2024
Oh this the first time am seeing this. Cillian as batman is good. But Wayne character doesn’t suit him
— Yellow Bird (@YellowLove243) March 25, 2024
At that age, he looked too soft out of the suit to pull off Wayne. He would look much better now if he tried it as he has a more mature face and more aura/reputation.
— Pythagoras In Boots ⚽️ (@pythaginboots) March 26, 2024
Feels out of place tbh pic.twitter.com/LmBN8lIwIs
— Ryan Santilena (@ryansantilena) March 26, 2024
They made the right decision. Cillian isnt made for batman
— Rakshit Shah – DUNKI (@rshah2611) March 26, 2024
Even though he did not get the part, Cillian Murphy nailed the role of Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow. As Nolan himself said:
“He’s still out there, still with a bag on his head… I just think, in a world of anarchy, the last judge you’d want to come in front of would be Jonathan Crane.”
All three movies of the Dark Knight trilogy are available for streaming on Max.
