20 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Dark Knight Trilogy

15. Cillian Murphy Auditioned For Batman...In Costume!

A number of actors were considered for the role of Batman alongside Christian Bale, and they all had to audition in the suit from Batman Returns. Cillian Murphy was among them, and though he didn't end up landing the role of the Caped Crusader, the British actor impressed Nolan enough to be cast as Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow in Batman Begins. One of the main reasons for that was (apparently) the actor's piercing blue eyes. In order to ensure that the audience would get a good look at those baby blues, Nolan apparently insisted that Murphy repeatedly take off his glasses while playing the iconic Batman villain. Had Murphy landed the role of Batman, the movie would have no doubt been very different. That's also evident from the other actors Nolan looked at for The Scarecrow - among them were Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, and (seriously!) Marilyn Manson.