The Joker actor is revealed to be Darren Aronofsky's favorite contender to play the Caped Crusader after Clooney's portrayal in 'Batman & Robin' garnered lukewarm reception.
- April 18, 2020
AceShowbiz - Joaquin Phoenix was once director Darren Aronofsky's first choice to play Batman.
The filmmaker reveals he wanted to reinvent the Caped Crusader after George Clooney's turn as the famed character in movie flop "Batman & Robin" - and suggested Phoenix as his leading man.
"The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix...," Aronofsky tells Empire of his plans for "Batman: Year One". "It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making."
"The Batman that was out before me was Batman & Robin, the famous one with the nipples on the Batsuit, so I was really trying to undermine that, and reinvent it. That's where my head went."
The project never made it into production and the role of Batman has since been played by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy and Ben Affleck. Robert Pattinson will be taking on the role for Matt Reeves' upcoming film, "The Batman".
Ironically, Phoenix picked up an Oscar for his turn as Batman's nemesis The Joker in director Todd Phillips' 2019 hit "Joker".
