Known for his iconic portrayal of the Marvel superhero, Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. has recently revealed that he made attempts to star in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, but he lost the opportunity to his Oppenheimer co-star, Cillian Murphy. Downey Jr. started his MCU journey with the 2008 film and reprised his role in multiple films under the franchise.
However, the Iron Man star has recently revealed that before he took on the role of the Marvel superhero, he met with Nolan for Batman Begins, not for the role of Bruce Wayne, but for the role of a DC villain.
Robert Downey Jr. Met Christopher Nolan For a DC Role
Robert Downey Jr. revealed that he met Christopher Nolan potentially for the role of Scarecrow in the 2005 film Batman Begins. The 58-year-old actor, who finally got the opportunity to collaborate with the filmmaker in Oppenheimer, shared insights into his meeting with Nolan during a recent discussion at the American Cinematheque panel.
In a video shared by Griffin Schiller on X (Twitter), the actor recalled his meeting with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker. Downey Jr. shared that although Nolan was polite, he did not seem too enthusiastic during their meeting. The Oscar-nominated actor recalled,
“And then I remember meeting him for tea and I was like, he doesn’t seem like he’s really leaning in on this interview. And he was polite and all that but you can tell when someone is kind of like, it’s not gonna go anywhere.”
The role of Scarecrow, whom he potentially met Nolan for eventually, went to Cillian Murphy, and he would go on to reprise his role in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Downey Jr. also gained worldwide acclaim, taking on the role of Iron Man in the MCU.
Robert Downey Jr. Eventually Got the Opportunity to Collaborate With Christopher Nolan
After concluding his venture at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr. was in the middle of taking a break to focus on his family and other pursuits when he heard about Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer.
The prospect of collaborating with Nolan on the significant project Oppenheimer was too enticing for him to pass up. “But this was Christopher Nolan, doing something that was important to him,” he shared during an interview before adding, “So, it was kind of a no-brainer.”
Oppenheimer features Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, and he received the nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards for his performance in the film. Many are anticipating him to win the award. Oppenheimer is also leading with 13 nominations at the 2024 Oscars, including Best Picture.
The Dark Knight Trilogy is available to stream on Max.
Oppenheimer is available on Peacock TV.
