Director Darren Aronofsky was hired to make an adaptation of Frank Miller’s acclaimed graphic novel Batman: Year One.
Actor Joaquin Phoenix won the world as well as the Oscars for his portrayal as the iconic Batman villain Joker earlier this year, however, many might now know that he was a contender to play The Dark Knight in an abandoned project.
After the franchise flopped with director Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, starring George Clooney, Warner Bros began planning a reboot.
Director Darren Aronofsky was hired to make an adaptation of Frank Miller’s acclaimed graphic novel Batman: Year One and zeroed in on Phoenix, who also celebrates his birthday today, to play Bruce Wayne.
The Black Swan filmmaker, in a recent interview with Empire, opened up about the same and said, "The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix. 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."
Warner Bros then turned to Christopher Nolan to reboot the franchise, which he did to massive success with this trilogy of films, all starring Christian Bale in the lead role.
Aronofsky even got Frank Miller to write the film. He had said, "It was an amazing thing because I was a big fan of his graphic novel work, so just getting to meet him was exciting back then,” Aronofsky recalled. “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."
On the work front, Phoenix is reportedly in talks to reprise his role as Arthur Fleck/Joker for a sequel. Director Todd Phillips is also expected to return. Phoenix, who recently welcomed his first child with partner Rooney Mara, was also in the running to play Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but the role then went to Benedict Cumberbatch.
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 "Happy Birthday Joaquin Phoenix: When actor was rejected by studio to play Batman before he won an Oscar for 'Joker'")
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