Latest News
An Early ’00s “Batman” Movie Didn’t Happen Because The Director Wanted Joaquin Phoenix, And The Studio Wanted Freddie Prinze Jr.
It’s been over 30 years since we got our first modern adaption of Batman with Tim Burton’s Batman. Sunset Boulevard / Getty Images The movie wasn’t just a hit, but would help revive the superhero movie genre. But less than a decade later, 1997’s Batman & Robin — which was critically panned and a box…
It’s been over 30 years since we got our first modern adaption of Batman with Tim Burton’s Batman.
Sunset Boulevard / Getty Images
The movie wasn’t just a hit, but would help revive the superhero movie genre.
But less than a decade later, 1997’s Batman & Robin — which was critically panned and a box office bomb — would kill the franchise.
Rights Managed / WARNER BROS / Ronald Grant Archive / Mary Evans
Both 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns had been box office hits and critically acclaimed, while 1995’s Batman Forever had been a huge box office hit.
However, Warner Bros. didn’t lose hope in reviving the franchise. And in a recent interview with Empire magazine, Darren Aronofsky revealed that in the early ’00s he had been brought in by the studio to write and direct a brand-new Batman movie.
Getty Images
Darren had just had a big hit with the gritty Requiem for A Dream.
In the interview Darren spoke about how he wanted to make a movie that was a dark take on Batman, and that his script was a close adaption of 1986’s graphic novel Batman: Year One.
DC
He even brought on Year One‘s writer, Frank Miller, to help write the script. But, even Frank was shocked at just how dark Darren wanted to take the movie, with Batman “veering into torture territory.”
Ollie Millington / Getty Images
According to Darren he wanted to get really dark and different with his Batman movie ’cause he was trying move away from Batman & Robin and the sorta lasting image of Batman with nipples on his Batsuit.
Rights Managed / Mary Evans Picture Library/Everett Collection
And to play the new darker grittier Bruce Wayne/ Batman, Darren only had one actor in mind: Joaquin Phoenix.
Evan Agostini / Getty Images
Real Life. Real News. Real Voices
Help us tell more of the stories that matter
Become a founding memberHowever, the studios had other plans, they wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. to play Bruce Wayne/ Batman (which makes sense, in the early ’00s he was a big star and a teen heartthrob).
Jim Smeal / Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Ultimately, it made Darren realize that he and the studio were not on the same page, saying:
I remember thinking, ‘Uh oh, we’re making two different films here.’ That’s a true story. It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making.
In the end, I think we can all agree that it all worked out! Darren not making his Batman movie gave way for Christopher Nolan to make his Batman trilogy — which were all amazing movies.
Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
And while Joaquin didn’t get to play Batman, he did go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his iconic portrayal of the Joker (which is not a bad consolation prize).
Joker, 2019. © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
Subscribe to the newsletter news
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe
