3. Casting Katie Holmes (Batman Begins)
What could go wrong with casting a beautiful young actress fresh out of teen sensation Dawson's Creek with eye-catching credits such as Muppets From Space and Teaching Miss Tingle as hugely important love interest Rachel Dawes? All sardony aside, Nolan's casting picks are usually spot on, with a mix of highest level industry talent and fan and critic-pleasing revivalist cameos, but Holmes was a disaster. Inciting fan rage for her stolid performance as Dawes, the actress who has gone on to some reasonable performance in good films and some downright flops was made to look all the worse thanks to her proximity to Bale, Murphy, Neeson and co. Looking back now, the performance was dull and unremarkable, lacking the emotional balance for Bale's Bruce Wayne or the presence to carry the human responsibilities in perilous scenes when Wayne is behind the cowl. She just didn't fit, and fan clamour apparently played a massive part in her not returning for The Dark Knight despite reports that she pulled out herself due to scheduling conflicts. Not only that, Nolan also cruelly under-estimated the influence of Holmes' now ex-husband Tom Cruise, who reportedly also pressurised her into pulling out of The Dark Knight to the collected relief of fans everywhere and Chris Nolan himself. And people say Cruise is bad.