Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
In retrospect, Christopher Nolan’s movie casts are not always the industry-dominating mainstream a-listers. The visual directory of Nolan before making a film also includes the potential actors for specific roles.
The Dark Knighttrilogy is iconic in its own right but as far as the casting in the franchise goes, the director placed the stars in accurate roles. The $2.4 billion franchise went on to become one of the most celebrated superhero franchises in history and many considered the series was the bestBatmantrilogy ever.
Also read:Cillian Murphy Couldn’t Understand Nuclear Science and Instead Focused on Perfecting Oppenheimer’s Mannerisms and Psyche for Upcoming Christopher Nolan Film
Casting Cillian Murphy inThe Dark KnightTrilogy
CastingPeaky BlindersstarCillian Murphyin the franchise has a pretty interesting backstory. AsChristopher Nolanrevealed he had to cast theOppenheimerstar after seeing him in a still image ofDanny Boyle’siconic zombie movie28 Days Later.“I remember I was up in San Francisco writing Batman Begins and there was something in the San Francisco Chronicle about 28 Days Later,”Nolan told Murphy in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“I saw a picture of you [Murphy] with your shaved head and your crazy eyes — no offense. I remember being struck by your presence, literally from that one photograph, and then started to look into who you were, and what you’d done, and got very excited about the idea of meeting you.”
But Nolan broke one rule while casting the Irish actor. Typically, major superhero villains were played by the industry’s prominent actors and specifically the Batman villains were the place of the big stars.
“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,”Nolan told Murphy.
Of course, Nolan had the ultimate freedom to cast anyone he wanted. Still, his cinematic vision prompted him to star actors like Murphy,Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, andTom Hardyin villainous roles challenging the previous notion.
Also read:“There was slight hesitation”: Oppenheimer Star Cillian Murphy Was Concerned About Joining Peaky Blinders Despite Being Second Choice After Jason Statham
Cillian Murphy Auditioned for the Batman Role
Initially, Murphy auditioned for the Batman role but both the actor and the director agreed to the fact that theRed Eyestar will not play Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman.“I don’t think I’m the physical specimen to play Bruce Wayne,”Murphy said appearing on WTF with Marc Maron podcast.
“It wasn’t right. It wasn’t right. Imagine this, I’m getting to try on a suit, a Batman suit, on the [Warner Bros.] lot, and do a screen test for Christopher Nolan. That’s all my expectations were at the time.”
But the loss of the Batman role did not stop the actor to work with the celebrated director as they have developed a friendship and collaborated on several movies together.
“I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part,”Murphy told the Associated Press once.
But playing a lead in a Nolan movie would be any actor’s dream and Murphy cherished the dream as well.“But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him,”he said once. Finally, the 47-year-old played the lead in Nolan’s most recent flick,Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimeris all set to hit the theaters on 10 July 2025.
Also read:Christopher Nolan Reveals How He Convinced Cillian Murphy to Join $527M Movie to Play an Unfinished Role: “Trust is creatively freeing…”
Source:The Digital Fix.
Lachit Roy
Articles Published :1031
Lachit Roy is a seasoned writer specializing in science and entertainment news. Armed with a postgraduate degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Tezpur University, he brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to his craft.Lachit is particularly passionate about crafting engaging content on entertainment news and trends. A dedicated movie enthusiast, he possesses an in-depth understanding of the cinematic world and takes joy in disseminating the latest updates to the global fandom. When not immersed in writing, Lachit can be found indulging in his love for movies and series, occasionally tending to his garden, but predominantly expanding his expertise in the realms of his interests.
