10 Actors Who Confirmed They Were Almost Batman

Another actor who was in the running alongside Bale and Bailey was Cillian Murphy, and unlike everybody else we've discussed so far, he actually did get to appear in the movie he was circling - although not as the main character.

Murphy was ultimately cast as Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow in Batman Begins, but originally, he was in the running for the main heroic role rather than a villainous one.

Murphy - whose Batman audition is also viewable online - was one of the select few who was chosen by Nolan to potentially be his Batman, but during this process, the director realized that Murphy would be better served in a different role.

Like with Bailey, it's abundantly clear that Murphy just wouldn't have been the right choice for Batman in this particular movie. The complete opposite of Bailey, his Bruce Wayne felt like a serial killer whereas his Batman seemed unhinged in the right way, but the overall package just wasn't present.

Amusingly, Murphy was recently asked about Batman on Late Night With Seth Meyers, where he confessed that he didn't feel like he was the right fit for the part, and that he felt like Bale was the obvious choice all along. Hey, at least he's honest.