1. Clint Eastwood Would've Played Batman
As work on Year One got more serious, Aronofsky was mainly courting Christian Bale for the lead role. And everybody knows he would've been perfect for it, since the actor went on to be a terrific Bruce Wayne/Batman (well, besides the voice) in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, and he probably would've been just as good if not better as the explicitly unhinged, violent and kinda damaged version in the previous iteration of the rebooted origin story. That wasn't Aronfosky's first choice, though. In fact he got the job working on a new Batman film with a simple, concise, and absolutely insane pitch he gave to Warner Bros: I told them Id cast Clint Eastwood as the Dark Knight, and shoot it in Tokyo, doubling for Gotham City. That got their attention. Yes, along with citing the likes of Serpico and The French Connection as influences, Aronfsky wanted Dirty Harry to play Batman. Which...is actually sort of genius. Less so for the Year One idea he eventually landed upon, because Eastwood is obviously a little old to be playing Batman at the start of his career, but if you were doing the sort of grizzled, elder hero from The Dark Knight Returns, or the one Ben Affleck's playing in the upcoming Batman V Superman? That would actually work. Plus under the cowl, all the acting's in the chin, and Eastwood has a snarl for the ages. Presumably in a sequel his sidekick would be an empty chair he talks to rather than Robin, though.
Tom Baker
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Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
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