Contrary to what you may think, Chiristian Bale wasn’t simply given the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s reboot of the Dark Knight franchise. He had to audition and that audition video has surfaced, showing Bale trying out for the part opposite Amy Adams as Rachel Dawes (a part that would eventually go to Katie Holmes and later to Maggie Gyllenhaal). Adams wouldn’t entirely miss out on the DC movie universe. She eventually landed the role of Lois Lane in ‘Man of Steel’ and will reprise the part in the sequel which is, at least for now, dubbed ‘Batman Vs. Superman.’ So things appear to have come full circle.
In the newly surfaced video, Bale is shown auditioning in Val Kilmer’s Batman costume from ‘Batman Forever’ and is already doing what I call “The Panther Voice” which he would eventually utilize in the films. Check it out below:
Interestingly, Bale beat out several other actors for the part of The Dark Knight, including Jake Gyllenhaal… which is probably for the best, since Jake’s sister Maggie ended up playing his love interest in the second movie! (Oh I know, they wouldn’t have brought her on, if Jake was already cast.) Another actor that was up for the lead role? Heath Ledger, who eventually (posthumously) won the Academy Award for his portrayal of The Joker.
In addition to Gyllenhaal, Bale beat out other candidates like Joshua Jackson and Ashton Kutcher. (Thank god!)
So there you have it! The seed that would eventually blossom into one of the most lucrative movie franchises in history! Obviously, I’m not a fan of “the Panther Voice,” and you may not be either, but at least it wasn’t Ashton Kutcher!
Source: Batman News
