Cut to the opening scene of
BATMAN BEGINS. Bruce has just fallen into a well, finding himself bruised and frightened. He hears a faint sound down the dark tunnel ahead. As he peers in for a closer look, bats suddenly swarm out, attacking him as he tries to fight them off. Before the scene can play out any longer, we cut to an older Bruce Wayne, mid-twenties, opening his eyes as if he’d just had a nightmare. The young man is bearded with long hair. The man is actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Wait, what?
OK, maybe that’s not how the scene played out. We all know that was Christian Bale not only in that scene but the rest of the film and its sequel, THE DARK KNIGHT, not Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal’s name is brought up though, because, for those who don’t know, he was the runner up for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. He was the 2nd choice if Christian Bale for some unimaginable reason couldn’t take the role. What would have happened if Gyllenhaal had been cast? Would BATMAN BEGINS been as successful? Would Heath Ledger have played the Joker? Would Jake’s sister, Maggie, played Rachel Dawes in THE DARK KNIGHT? (Probably not). It’s interesting to imagine would could have been for the Batman franchise and what a difference this would have made for the film world alike.
Going back to September of 2003, Christopher Nolan was holding a casting call for the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in his forthcoming reboot of the Batman franchise. Though still without an official title, it was well known around Hollywood that this would be a darker, more serious version of the Caped Crusader, and not the silly camp that Joel Schumacher had exposed audiences to in the late 1990s. The actors who were said to be auditioning for the role -- besides the aforementioned Bale and Gyllenhaal -- were Joshua Jackson, Eion Bailey, Cillain Murphy (who ended up playing a great Scarecrow), Henry Cavill, and Hugh Dancy. After all the actors tested, both director Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer had their “choice,” just not the same guy. Nolan wanted Bale but Goyer wanted Gyllenhaal. Goyer even went on record stating his admiration at the time for Gyllenhaal. Ultimately though, due to Nolan’s liking for Bale and Warner Bros. awareness of his popularity as a fan favorite, he was cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman on September 11th 2003, not Jake Gyllenhaal. Yet, one can wonder if Goyer had somehow convinced Nolan and the WB to go with Jake, how the forthcoming BATMAN BEGINS would have been different.
Once Gyllenhaal was cast as Batman, the rest of the cast would have had to fill out. It’s hard to say if any of the BATMAN BEGINS cast we know today would be any different. While all actors hope to have chemistry together, I’m sure this wasn’t a necessity when going about the casting process. Most likely Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, and the rest would all still have been cast in their roles, respectively. Also, for anyone thinking, “Wouldn’t Katie Holmes have needed some chemistry with Gyllenhaal to be cast as Rachel Dawes?” I think we all know Warner Bros. shoved her down Nolan’s throat to make sure the teen-idol factor was in their film. As for Gyllenhaal’s preparation for the role, it was well-known during the casting process that he was already putting on muscle to try and convince Nolan and Warner Bros. he was the guy. Once he would have been cast, Gyllenhaal probably would have ramped up the working out hardcore to fit the ideal look of a muscled Bruce Wayne. He most likely would have ended up with the same build he had recently while filming PRINCE OF PERSIA, long hair included. It’s also interesting to note the filming of BATMAN BEGINS, from March to September 2004. I say this because Gyllenhaal’s much talked about film with future Joker Heath Ledger, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, was filmed in the summer of that same year. This basically meant there was no way Gyllenhaal would have been in the film while also questioning if Ledger would have been in it as well as the chemistry between the two probably went a long way in their casting for that film.
Once BATMAN BEGINS would have filmed with Gyllenhaal as the lead, the anticipation would have built up until the release. While Christian Bale was a general unknown to the “average joe” before Batman, Gyllenhaal was considered a rising, young star even before he would have been cast as the Caped Crusader. With this, it’s argumentative that BATMAN BEGINS probably would have had an even bigger box office opening than had Bale starred. Judging by the rest of the cast being intact and Nolan still behind the camera, the movie would have been an almost shoe in for good reviews, and positive fan reception. Gyllenhaal would have catapulted to A-list status as Batman for a new generation and looked upon as the face of the new franchise.
With the success BATMAN BEGINS would have had, anticipation obviously would have started building around the sequel and who would play the Joker and Harvey Dent/Two Face? Now with Gyllenhaal being almost the exact same height as Christian Bale (6 feet, give or take a semi-inch), the same actors probably would have been considered to play off equally as Batman’s arch nemesis. Now the big question obviously is, would Heath Ledger still have gotten the role? It’s possible. Gyllenhaal -- as stated before -- would have never done BROKEBACK MOUTAIN and Heath might’ve not either. The interesting point to make though here is that Ledger’s role in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN gained him an Oscar nomination, and recognition as a immensely, talented actor, something that had eluded him prior in his career. Would Nolan have even considered Ledger had he not done BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and gained so much recognition? Maybe, but it would have been an even more disputed choice considering he wouldn’t have had an Oscar nomination to back up his decision.
So if Heath had not been cast as The Joker, who else might have nabbed the role? The only one whose name could be thrown into the ring with any kind of credibility would be, ironically, Christian Bale. It’s known he was good friends with Christopher Nolan before was even made. Plus, he would have been a well-respected actor who we all know could handle the psychotic role of the Joker, evidenced by his film AMERICAN PSYCHO. How would that have been? Jake Gyllenhaal vs. Christian Bale? Batman vs. the Joker? Only in a parallel world. For safe’s sake though and for comparison, we’ll go ahead and assume Ledger would have been cast as The Joker anyway, along with Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face. One quick tidbit to note though. Katie Holmes would have still married Tom Cruise and pissed of Warner Bros. and Chris Nolan so she wouldn’t have been back for THE DARK KNIGHT. With that said, there is no way in hell Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake’s sister, would have been cast as his love interest. No way. The other actresses I remember hearing at the time to replace Katie Holmes were Rachel McAdams and Emily Blunt. Being that I’m in love with Rachel, I’ll assume she would have gotten the role of her same name.
Assuming THE DARK KNIGHT would have went into production over the same time frame of April to September 2007, it would have been still set for its release in July of 2008. During the many months building up to the film’s release with its viral-campaign and such, it is sad, yet likely to assume that Heath Ledger would have still met his untimely death. Though different variables in this parallel reality’s case could have effected Ledger’s tragic outcome, it is not of main point in this writing piece so it will not be addressed. With the release of THE DARK KNIGHT coming on July 18, 2009, it is again a safe bet to say the film would have reached its astonishing box office and critical success, perhaps even more depending on how the response would have been to Gyllenhaal as the Bat for the new generation. We all know the accolades for THE DARK KNIGHT, 2nd highest domestic grossing movie of all-time, a billion dollars at the box office, numerous awards, and recognition as the greatest comic-book movie ever made. Jake Gyllenhaal would have been even further been recognized as a major movie star and cemented as probably the greatest Batman of all-time.
While it is always interesting to imagine what could have been with any situation in any walk of life, I say with great confidence that regardless of who Christopher Nolan would have picked to play his Bruce Wayne/Batman, we would still be sitting here today with a great Batman franchise on our hands. If Nolan had picked Gyllenhaal instead of Bale, we would all be anticipating a 3rd film regardless. Might Jake have been a better Batman? It’s possible. But one thing is for sure though: It’s about the man behind the camera, not the man behind the mask. - John DiNicola
