Cillian Murphy is GLAD he wasn't cast as Bruce Wayne for Batman Begins

Cillian Murphy reckons it worked out for the best that he wasn't cast as Bruce Wayne for Batman Begins.

In January of 2003, it was confirmed that Christopher Nolan would co-write and direct a reboot of the Batman franchise, titled Batman Begins.

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After the disaster that was Batman and Robin, it was crucial that Nolan and Warner Bros. got their casting of Bruce Wayne on the money, and they eventually struck gold by selecting Christian Bale, who would go on to play the Caped Crusader in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

Before Bale was chosen, there were a number of candidates up for the role including Josh Hartnett, Eion Bailey, Henry Cavill, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Jackson and David Boreanaz.

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One other was Murphy, who ultimately wasn't chosen as Nolan didn't feel he was the right fit. However, the director was impressed enough with a screentest from the Irishman that he would cast him as one of the movie's primary villains, Dr Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow.

The Irishman has carved out a hugely successful career despite not playing Batman, and is currently leading one of the biggest movies of the summer, Oppenheimer.

To his credit, Murphy believes that he actually wasn't the right choice for the role of Bruce Wayne.

Yes, I think it was for the best because we got Christian Bale's performance, which is a stunning interpretation of that role," he told GQ when asked if not getting the job worked out for the best.

"I never considered myself as the right physical specimen for Batman. To me, it was always going to be Christian Bale."

Cillian Murphy's Batman audition

Murphy tested for Batman wearing Val Kilmer's suit from Batman Forever, and you can see footage of his audition below.

Cillian Murphy's screentest for Batman Begins ????pic.twitter.com/FUeFHUb1bw— MovieMeter (@MovieMeter_) June 1, 2023