Darren Aronofsky Wanted To Make 'The Batman' With Joaquin Phoenix

KEY POINTS

Darren Aronofsky has revealed that he wanted Joaquin Phoenix to star as the caped crusader in his version of "The Batman"
The movie never got made because WB wanted another actor to play Batman in the movie
WB then hired Christopher Nolan to make the "Dark Knight" Trilogy

After Joel Schumacher’s “Batman And Robin,” Christopher Nolan’s 2005 blockbuster “Batman Begins” became the first film to show the world’s greatest detective on the big screen. Schumacher’s film forced Warner Bros. to step back and take some time to bring the fictional character back to the 70mm.

But if you think that Nolan was the first choice to make a Batman movie, then you might be wrong. Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky was poised to direct the movie based on the comic book character after the success of “Requiem For A Dream” in 2000. The script for the movie went well, but the movie collapsed suddenly due to the differences between the helmer and the studio.

In an interview with Empire, the 51-year-old filmmaker revealed that he wanted to make the movie with “Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix while the studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. to play the dark knight.

The “Mother!” director further stated that the script was entirely different than the movie WB ended up making.

“The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix. I remember thinking, ‘Uh oh, we are making two different films here.’ That is 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,” Aronofsky said.

Years later Phoenix would go on to star in Todd Phillips’ “Joker” where he portrayed the character of Arthur Fleck who became the clown prince of Gotham at the end of the film. “Joker” is considered to be biggest villain of the Batman universe.

Phoenix also won the Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role for his impeccable acting skills in the movie.

As far as Aronofsky's take is concerned, he wanted to take the character to a new direction. According to Screen Rant, the filmmaker wanted Bruce Wayne to be penniless after his parents' death. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon was intended to be suicidal.

Aronofsky has not directed a movie since 2017. His last movie was Jennifer Lawrence’s “Mother!” The movie earned polarizing reviews from the critics as well as audiences. Some called it a masterpiece while others considered it bad.

He is now producing a movie called “The Good Nurse.” Helmed by Tobias Lindholm, the film stars Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne in lead roles.