Darren Aronofsky wanted Joaquin Phoenix to play Batman

Darren Aronofsky is known for is psychological dramas and the unique take he has on satirical movies. Some of his finest works are films like Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Mother and Jackie. The filmmaker was asked to direct a Batman film back in 2000 but his vision did not match with the producers and the project was eventually shelved.

Talking about the conflict, Aronofsky said that he wanted Joaquin Phoenix to play Batman but Warner Bros. had a different vision of the superhero. He elaborated, “The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix. I remember thinking, ‘Uh oh, we’re making two different films here. It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making.”

The film was eventually handed over the Christopher Nolan who brought to life Christian Bale’s Dark Knight and made him one of the finest Batmans we have ever head. As for Joaquin, he went on to epitomise the villain from the same franchise, Joker last year in what is considered his career best performance. The actor bagged all the major awards for his performance, carrying the legacy of actor Heath Ledger who played the role in Nolan’s version of the film.