Cillian Murphy Was A Finalist To Play Bruce Wayne In Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins
The father of the atomic bomb will soon be given the Christopher Nolan treatment, with "Oppenheimer" set to continue the working relationship between the director and star, Cillian Murphy. The two have previously worked together on five separate projects, dating all the way back to 2005's "Batman Begins," when Murphy played The Scarecrow opposite Christian Bale as the Dark Knight.
Nolan's first movie in the "Dark Knight" trilogy introduced a new generation to Batman after "Batman & Robin" nearly killed off the franchise altogether back in the '90s. There was so much that made the film a success, from the well-paced origin story to the focus on keeping things grounded while never forgetting that this was a comic-book blockbuster. Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman went a long way to redefining the character, too. And as you might expect from a director working on his first major blockbuster, a lot of work went into finding the perfect actor for the role.
Nolan went through a substantial casting process that involved Josh Hartnett rebuffing his attempt to convince him to play Batman. The two would work together eventually on "Oppenheimer," but back in 2003, Nolan still needed his Dark Knight. The filmmaker, who never has a cast in mind when he's writing films, started screen testing before a script was written, meeting with, "every other young actor in town" in the early stages of casting. The key was finding, "somebody without too many past associations," as well as an actor who could, "project this extraordinary iconography" through the bat suit. And at one point, it seems Murphy came close to meeting those requirements.
'It was just an experience'
Once Nolan had a shortlist of actors, he screen-tested them all as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. The candidates would have to perform as Bruce Wayne in private, as Wayne putting on his public persona, and of course, as the Dark Knight. Those screen tests have since seen the light of day, with Warner Bros. including them on a "Dark Knight" trilogy blu-ray set back in 2013 before they quickly found their way online. Using a suit worn by Val Kilmer during the climax of 1995's "Batman Forever," Cillian Murphy, Christian Bale, and Eion Bailey all tried out for the lead role, with Amy Adams doing casting director John Papsidera a favor and reading for Rachel – a part that would eventually be played by Katie Holmes, and later Maggie Gyllenhaal.
According to Murphy, there were about 10 actors who were up for the part by the time he screen-tested. And while that very test would suggest he was close to landing it, the actor didn't see it that way. As he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, "I don't believe I was close to landing that role. The only actor who was right for that part at that time, in my estimation, was Christian Bale, and he absolutely smashed it. So, for me, it was just an experience."
Luckily for him, Nolan was impressed enough that he suggested Warners cast him as Scarecrow. And on the strength of that screen test alone, Murphy became one of Batman's most recognizable rogues. The actor continued, "It turned into something else. It turned into that character, Scarecrow, and it turned into a working relationship with Chris. So I think back very, very fondly on that time, but I never, ever, ever considered myself Bruce Wayne material."
Nolan made the right choice
Prior to "Batman Begins," Nolan had only directed one major studio movie, going straight from his breakout project "Memento" to the Al Pacino-led "Insomnia." As such, the director had never had to do screen tests, which makes it even more impressive that he was able to recognize Cillian Murphy's potential as the villain of his then-unwritten Batman movie. As Nolan said in a making-of-featurette, "He wasn't right for that part in the way that Christian was. But the performance was incredible and everybody took huge notice of it while we were shooting it and while we watched the test."
And it seems based on his recent interviews Murphy agrees. He also told GQ that he was, "clearly not the right material for Batman," and I think it's clear from the screen tests that he's right. While his performance is very obviously thoughtful and committed, it doesn't quite compare to Bale's, who seemingly had his now-infamous Batman voice locked in long before he ever shot a scene of the movie. It's a testament to Nolan's talent that he and the team kept Murphy on after seeing his test, and, I think, mercifully spared us Eion Bailey's Bruce Wayne.
With the "Dark Knight" trilogy helping prepare Nolan for "Oppenheimer," it will be interesting to see whether he's maintained that same casting insight and whether Murphy is similarly suited to the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer when the movie hits theaters on July 21.