10 DC Comics Movies That Almost Happened
4. Batman: Year One
Warner Bros didn't have much luck with Batman projects between the Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan eras, with movie after movie burning up on entry.
One film which fell by the wayside is Darren Aronofsky's Batman: Year One, a movie that would have forced fans to forget everything they know about the Caped Crusader.
Loosely based on the Frank Miller comic book of the same name, the movie would have depicted Bruce Wayne as homeless, having lost his fortune when his parents were murdered, and reimagined Alfred as an African-American mechanic called Al.
It would have been grounded, R-rated and might have starred Joaquin Phoenix, had Aronofsky got his way. The Gladiator star is said to have been the director's first choice, although Christian Bale was later approached.
Batman: Year One could well have been the darkest superhero film ever made, but it came along at a time when Hollywood was very much into traditional comic book adaptations, hence Warner putting its eggs into the Nolan basket instead.