20 Things You Didn't Know About Batman Begins
17. Josh Hartnett Regrets Turning Down The Lead Role
During the millennium, Josh Hartnett was an up-and-coming actor to look out for in Hollywood. Hartnett was a young, handsome man who had appeared in blockbusters like Pearl Harbour and Black Hawk Down. It was only a matter of time before a studio exec tried to make him the face of a huge franchise. When Batman Begins was green-lit, it wasn't long before producers were knocking down Hartnett's door, desperately trying to make him say yes to playing the Dark Knight.
Although every actor under the sun coveted the role, Hartnett wasn't interested. This may seem crazy in hindsight but at the time, superhero films didn't have a good reputation. Batman Begins came out the same year as the forgettable Elektra and the disappointing Fantastic Four. If the film did well and launched a franchise, Hartnett didn't want to commit to working on a movie series for years as he was worried he would neglect his family.
After seeing The Dark Knight trilogy single-handedly reinvigorate the superhero franchise, Hartnett realised he made the wrong call. In his defence, the last Batman film had a villain shouting ice puns so you can't blame Hartnett for being pessimistic.