20 Things You Didn't Know About The Prestige

7. Josh Hartnett Was Shut Out Of A Leading Role

The Prestige poster Hugh Jackman Scarlett Johansson Christian Bale
Sky

We don't really see much of Josh Hartnett on the big screen anymore (at least, not in high-profile projects), even though he was poised to be a major star back in the mid-2000s after roles in Pearl Harbor, Sin City, and Lucky Number Slevin.B ut not only did he come close to landing the title role in Batman Begins (he met with director Christopher Nolan, but eventually turned the gig down), he even briefly flirted with a part in The Prestige.

In a chat with Playboy (via Variety), the actor revealed that, after deciding Batman Begins wasn't for him, he became interested in The Prestige. However, he said that Nolan "didn't want to put me" in the movie, implying that his decision to turn down the Batman role negatively affected his chances of starring in the magician-centric flick.

We're sure Nolan had his reasons for not casting Hartnett and that the Batman Begins rejection had nothing to do with it, but regardless, it's extremely interesting to learn just how close Hartnett came to following Christian Bale's Hollywood breakout.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.