WI: Cillian Murphy as Batman

Originally, Christopher Nolan had an eye on Cillian Murphy to play the Caped Crusader, with Murphy, saying in an interview with the Boston Globe.

BG: I'm interested to talk about the rest of your year. I've read that you were excited and wanted ''Batman" for yourself at some point. You didn't get it, and did such a great job as the Scarecrow.

CM: I have to correct you. I never saw myself as Batman. It was Chris Nolan who asked me very flatteringly to come in for a screen test. I mean I don't think I have the right physique for Batman. And so I was just intrigued to get to work with Chris Nolan within a screen test situation. And then he was kind enough to offer me the other part.
What if, instead of Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy is offered the role and takes it. How does this change the Dark Knight Trilogy? Who plays the Scarecrow/Batman's enemy? And, most importantly, is the world ready for an Irish Batman?
 
Originally, Christopher Nolan had an eye on Cillian Murphy to play the Caped Crusader, with Murphy, saying in an interview with the Boston Globe.

What if, instead of Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy is offered the role and takes it. How does this change the Dark Knight Trilogy? Who plays the Scarecrow/Batman's enemy? And, most importantly, is the world ready for an Irish Batman?
He asked him to come to a screen test. It was after that, Nolan offered him Scarecrow....so no chance.
 

The Vulture

Banned
I doubt American audiences are ready for a skinny Irish Batman, even though he has GORGEOUS eyes. Most likely result: heavily derided and maybe breaks even at the box.
 
I agree Americans are not ready for a skinny Irish batman too.

I am still wondering who the villain opposite of Cilian Murphy would be. It would also be interesting to see if Nolan makes more Batman movies if the first one is mediocre and breaks even.
 
Originally, Christopher Nolan had an eye on Cillian Murphy to play the Caped Crusader, with Murphy, saying in an interview with the Boston Globe.

What if, instead of Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy is offered the role and takes it. How does this change the Dark Knight Trilogy? Who plays the Scarecrow/Batman's enemy? And, most importantly, is the world ready for an Irish Batman?

They didn't seem to have a problem with an English/Welsh Batman, so I would say there wouldn't have been a problem with his nationality. He's an actor with the chops to pull off the acting, but Vulture has the right angle in whether or not he has the body type that people have come to expect from Batman.
 
Yeah, AFAIK, the only other skinny Batman we have had is Terry Mcginnis in Batman Beyond.

It worked in Batman Beyond, because Terry McGinnis was highly athletic and the suit enhanced his abilities, so with the right actor a thin Batman could work, but its not Cilllian Murphy. A Cillian Murphy Batman movie probably means no Dark Knight. A million geeks weep.
 
Originally, Christopher Nolan had an eye on Cillian Murphy to play the Caped Crusader, with Murphy, saying in an interview with the Boston Globe.

What if, instead of Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy is offered the role and takes it. How does this change the Dark Knight Trilogy? Who plays the Scarecrow/Batman's enemy? And, most importantly, is the world ready for an Irish Batman?

When we saw what Christopher Nolan was able to do with Tom Hardy it's not impossible to have Cillian Murphy being built up a little for the Batman role.

If you look at Star Trek Nemesis Tom Hardy as Shinzon is quite a thin weedy looking guy.

Murphy doesn't have to be built like a weight lifter to play Batman. Bale isn't all that big and Michael Keaton didn't look like he could win a fight with a Geography teacher.
 
Did people not see Bale's physical state when he auditioned for Batman Begins? He'd just done the Machinist and, as such, was essentially emaciated. He won the role and then did an intense course of eating and working out which initially went wrong and earned him the nickname of 'fatman'. The human body is a remarkable thing, as after all this he ended up looking like the well-built believable Bruce Wayne that we know from Batman Begins. There's nothing to say Murphy couldn't do the same.

To be honest, looking at his performance in 28 Days Later, I think Murphy could do a frustrated, angry Batman in the same way that Bale did. I think not much might actually change, we'd just have a different lead performing Nolan's vision.
 
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