Robert Downey Jr., known for his iconic portrayal of Iron Man. the Marvel superhero, recently made a revelation that he approached Christopher Nolan to star in his The Dark Knight Trilogy, but lost the opportunity to his Oppenheimer co-star, Cillian Murphy. He met with Nolan to play Scarecrow in 2005’s Batman Begins. But it did not happen.
However, he is not the only Marvel star, who has been denied a role in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. Jake Gyllenhaal was almost cast in the iconic role of Batman before it went to Christian Bale. Another star is Kurt Russell, whom Christopher Nolan, wanted to cast as Commissioner James Gordon.
Jake Gyllenhaal Almost Played Batman for Director Christopher Nolan
Jake Gyllenhaal, who played supervillain Mysterio opposite Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Far From Home nearly portrayed the iconic role of Batman for director Christopher Nolan. Screenwriter David S. Goyer while chatting on Happy Sad Confused podcast dropped some information regarding that.
“We would chat about all sorts of things. There were a number of people who had screen-tested, and I had advocated for Gyllenhaal,” said Goyer. “I mean, Gyllenhaal is amazing, Christian Bale is amazing, so who knows what?”
When asked if there is footage somewhere of Gyllenhaal auditioning in a Batman costume, he added, “I believe there is.”
The role went to Christian Bale who played the role in all three films.
It’s hard to imagine someone else than Bale in this role, but what Goyer stated gives the audience food to think about how it would have been had it been done by Gyllenhaal and how the franchise might have unfolded.
Another Marvel Star Nearly Played One Iconic DC Role
Kurt Russell is one of the most established actors the world has ever seen. The Sky High actor, who joined the MCU as Star-Lord’s father, Ego, was reportedly being considered a replacement for Michael Keaton’s Batman.
Later, Nolan wanted to cast Russell as Commissioner Jim Gordon. However, he reportedly denied the offer, and the role went to the Harry Potter actor Gary Oldman. Russell also turned down the role of Jonathan Kent in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.
However, this choice of having Oldman onboard was not Nolan’s first, second, or even third. After Russell turned down the offer, Nolan approached Chris Cooper. He also declined the role due to the time commitment required for the film. Then, Dennis Quaid was considered for the role but the deal also fell through.
As a result, Nolan cast Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and Oldman gained critical and audience acclaim for his performance in the trilogy.
In the Batman canon, Commissioner Gordon is one of the central characters and one of Batman’s most trusted allies. He serves as a mentor and ally to the Dark Knight, often providing him with information and resources in his fight against crime in Gotham City.
The Dark Knight trilogy is available to stream on Max.
