10 Best Actors Almost Cast In Matt Reeves' The Batman

The story of how Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” marched its way into existence deserves its own film. Not only was it born out of the ashes of Ben Affleck’s “The Batman,” which would have been like David Fincher’s “The Game,” but it also encountered several production setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the following uncertainty of whether or not audiences would return to theaters. In the end, Reeves and Co. delivered a remarkable and brooding Dark Knight film that doesn’t look out of place next to its contemporaries or other Bat flicks. Plus, it also helps that it received stellar reviews across the board and made serious bank at the box office.

While the movie turned out great overall, it could have looked much different had certain actors been cast instead of who we finally saw in the roles. Like with any other blockbuster, numerous performers spoke to casting directors, Lucy Bevan and Cindy Tolan, and auditioned, with big names including the likes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eiza González, Ana de Armas, Jonah Hill, and Mahershala Ali. Would these actors have been better fits than the chosen ones? Well, there’s no time machine to head off to an alternate timeline to check for ourselves, but it’s always fun to speculate, isn’t it?

With that being said, let’s do the kind of sleuthing that would make the World’s Greatest Detective proud and find out more about the missed possibilities. Here are the 10 best actors almost cast in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”

Nicholas Hoult possesses an enviable filmography. He has appeared in everything from “Mad Max: Fury Road” to “Nosferatu,” and even starred as Hank McCoy, aka Beast, in Fox’s “X-Men” films. Yet, the big one eluded him. Hoult auditioned to be Superman (he ended up with a nice consolation prize as Lex Luthor), but he was also nearly Batman. How close, you may ask? Very.

Appearing on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Hoult explained how he was in the running for the part along with Robert Pattinson and felt deflated when he didn’t get it. “I remember a week before we did the Batman test, I was driving in my car and I had the radio on and they were talking on the radio about how Rob was going to be the new Batman,” he said. “And I was like, ‘It’s not confirmed yet! I’m auditioning next weekend. Give me a chance.'”

An inside source claimed it all came down to the chin and who would look better in the cowl, with Pattinson triumphing over Hoult in this category. That being said, it’s easy to imagine Hoult in the Batman role as well. Like Pattinson, he possesses a quiet intensity in his performances that come across without him having to do too much. He’s also more than proven himself capable of digging deep to play broken characters, or those with duality in their personality, so someone like Bruce Wayne/Batman would be but a walk in the park for him.

Apart from the titular role, one of the most coveted parts in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” was Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman. Now, this wasn’t Patience Phillips bouncing around a basketball to the tune of Mis-Teeq’s “Scandalous”; this darker version of the Cat plays a crucial role in the overarching storyline of the movie and the mechanics of Gotham City’s underworld. While Zoë Kravitz portrays a phenomenal Catwoman in “The Batman,” there could have been another talented actor beating up goons alongside Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader.

In 2024, Eiza González confirmed to ComicBook.com that she made it far along in the casting process, even receiving a screen test. “I was so excited when I was, like, camera tested for ‘The Batman,'” she said. “And that whole process was, like, shocking and I couldn’t believe it because I was especially such a huge fan of Catwoman. And in that moment, I was, like, you know, distraught that I didn’t get it.”

González admitted that Kravitz was the right choice for “The Batman,” while adding that she’s made peace with the fact she’s unlikely to ever play Catwoman. Never say never, though, since the rebooted DC Universe might require its own Selina Kyle and seek out the talents of González. After all, she’s demonstrated her action pedigree in films, such as “Baby Driver” and “Hobbs & Shaw,” and has the necessary comic book movie experience after playing KT in “Bloodshot.” Let’s face it: she was born to play this role, and it could still happen.

In terms of villains, Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” offers up a full platter of bad guys. Whether it be Carmine Falcone, the Riddler, Penguin, or even the sneaky Joker cameo, there’s no shortage of antagonists lurking around in the story. Actors love these types of roles, so it’s unsurprising that someone like Jonah Hill was attracted to “The Batman.” Who did Hill almost play, though? That’s a complicated answer.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hill was in talks for both the Riddler and Penguin. The publication’s source said that neither Hill nor the filmmakers could decide which role he was best suited for, so there was something of an impasse in the situation. However, other reports suggested that Hill wanted to play the Riddler, which would make more sense since it was the meatier part in the movie and had more screen time. The biggest obstacle here? Money. Reportedly, Hill wanted $10 million to star in “The Batman,” which was more than double the amount that Robert Pattinson was getting paid. Whichever way, the casting didn’t happen after Jonah Hill departed “The Batman” discussions.

Seeing Hill as the Riddler could have been a treat, though. Take nothing away from Paul Dano, who knocks it out of the park in “The Batman,” but Hill knows how to turn up the cerebral and sinister when required. He could have been a slightly different Edward Nashton than Dano’s version, though it’s likely he would have been memorable in his own right.

Spare a thought for poor Mahershala Ali. He’s had his heart set on doing “Blade” for what seems like eons now, but that film appears to be more cursed than the bombastic bloodsuckers and dreary deadbeats the Daywalker fights. You can’t even joke that we’ll get Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Blade” before “Grand Theft Auto VI,” because there’s zero chance of that ever happening.

However, it could have been different had Ali committed to another role instead. According to reporter Justin Kroll’s post on X, Ali was actually the main pick to play Jim Gordon in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” Then, the “Blade” offer came around and Ali jumped at that opportunity, so Reeves and Co.’s focus turned to Jeffrey Wright. In other words, the part was likely Ali’s to lose.

Unquestionably, Wright leaves his mark as Gordon in the film, joining an illustrious list of performers to have played Gotham City’s most dedicated (and only honest) cop. The prospect of Ali as Gordon tantalizes, too, because everyone knows that anything he touches, he turns into gold (and golden statues). Ali is a multifaceted and award-winning performer who can play good guys, baddies, and everything in between. There’s absolutely no doubt that he would have made a fantastic Jim Gordon in “The Batman” and stolen the show. If the reports are to be believed, you have to wonder if Ali regrets his choice in retrospect, because he could have easily played the role and hung around to see if Marvel’s “Blade” reboot ever happened or not.

Matt Reeves settled on Robert Pattinson as his Batman before he chose the actor to play Catwoman. It makes sense, because the lead sets the tone for the rest of the movie, so that part needs to be bedded down first. Pattinson was busy even before the cameras started to roll, as he had to do screen and chemistry tests with the shortlisted actors for Selina Kyle. One of them was none other than Ana de Armas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

At the time in 2019, de Armas’ star was on a steady rise, but she was nowhere near the in-demand name she is now. Missing out on Catwoman did nothing to derail her momentum, as she went on to appear in notable films like “No Time to Die,” “The Gray Man,” “Blonde,” and “Ballerina” in the years thereafter.

It makes you think, though, would de Armas’ chances of becoming Catwoman been higher had a film like “Ballerina” come earlier in her career? The movie cements her status as an action hero and would have only added to her mainstream appeal. After all, no one questioned if she had the ability to play the seductive qualities of Selina, especially after a film like “Knock Knock,” but there might have been some concerns about the physical demands of the role. But after the all-action display in “Ballerina,” she silences all doubters.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson can’t help but be hot property in Hollywood, with him being constantly cited as one of the actors who could replace Daniel Craig as James Bond. Whenever there’s a major role up for grabs, his name comes up as a top contender. Someone give this man’s agency a raise, because it’s certainly working hard for its client!

Unsurprisingly, Taylor-Johnson made the four-man shortlist to play the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a casting that looks perfect on paper. From a physical point-of-view, anyone could buy Taylor-Johnson as Bruce Wayne, since he’s muscular, attractive, and possesses a playboy charm. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a good actor, who would be able to tap into both facets of the character as Bruce and Batman. Most importantly of all, he appears to be a comic book fan in general, since he’s played Pietro Maximoff in the MCU, Dave Lizewski in “Kick-Ass,” and Sergei Kravinoff in “Kraven the Hunter” (let’s not talk about that last one too much, though).

Maybe the fact he was so recognizable in other superhero franchises worked against him in the end. Reeves’ “The Batman” didn’t want to be like any other comic book movie out there, choosing to distance itself from the MCU and even the DC Extended Universe, so there could have been a legitimate concern that too many people would have still seen him as the guy who took bullets for Hawkeye in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Another actor almost cast in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” was Ella Balinska. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she was in the final running for Selina Kyle. Out of the actors mentioned for the role, she was one of the youngest performers considered here, as she only turned 23 in October 2019. At the time, the world’s eyes were on Balinska, because she was set to star as Jane Kano in Elizabeth Banks’ “Charlie’s Angels” reboot, alongside Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott. While the film bombed at the box office and received a mixed response from fans and critics, it was still a high-profile motion picture for the English actor.

Unfortunately, Balinksa’s career hasn’t exactly skyrocketed since then either. While she continued to act, she also had the misfortune of starring in Netflix’s “Resident Evil” series, which flopped and made Paul W. S. Anderson’s movies look like Scorsese in comparison. (She’s due to get a break on a franchise property at some point, right? It’s the law of averages.)

All things considered, though, Balinksa would have made a fresh and unexpected choice as Catwoman, especially taking into account the other contenders for the part. Although, one does wonder how fans might have reacted to the casting, knowing that the likes of Zoë Kravitz, Ana de Armas, and Eiza González were all in the mix and more widely recognizable to the public.

Once upon a time, Armie Hammer was chosen to play Batman in George Miller’s “Justice League: Mortal.” The film never came to fruition, but Hammer remained someone whose name always popped up whenever a Caped Crusader project appeared on the horizon. And why not? For all intents and purposes, he’s a real-life Bruce Wayne, coming from a famously rich family and looking like he was plucked straight out of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It’s almost too obvious a casting to ignore.

Hammer was a reported finalist for the titular role in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, it came down to him, Robert Pattinson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Nicholas Hoult. Now, while Hammer might have seemed like a good pick, he was also coming off blockbuster bombs like “The Lone Ranger” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Normally in Hollywood, that gets you relegated to straight to home video, but in Hammer’s case, he had unrelenting backing in the industry. Until he didn’t.

While his potential casting wouldn’t have shocked too many fans at the time, Warner Bros. dodged an absolutely massive bullet here, because of the negative publicity it would have attracted after Hammer faced serious allegations of sexual assault and misconduct in 2021. Hammer didn’t face charges nor prosecution for any of these allegations, even after an investigation, but the event all but destroyed his career as an A-lister as he became persona non grata in mainstream Hollywood.

When it comes to film casting rumors, different outlets report different stories. While The Hollywood Reporter suggested its own shortlist of who was playing Catwoman in “The Batman,” Variety had a couple of different names on its side. It’s likely that Variety and The Hollywood Reporter were both right in this instance, as Matt Reeves and the casting directors must have met with numerous performers, especially since there was an alleged concern that “The Batman” could clash with Zoë Kravitz’s “Fantastic Beasts” commitments.

One of the more interesting names mentioned was Zazie Beetz. Coming off the success of “Deadpool 2,” where Beetz plays Domino, the actor received a lot of attention and praise for her winning combination of action and comedy in the film, so it wouldn’t be too outside of the realm of possibility to see her add the role of Selina Kyle to her comic book movie portfolio. Plus, it isn’t too hard to imagine her as Catwoman either, since she has all the acting tools to make the character believable on screen.

There was one likely problem, though: Beetz had filmed scenes as Sophie Dumond in Todd Phillips’ “Joker.” While there’s no shared universe connection between Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and Robert Pattinson’s Batman, it might have been jarring to the average viewer to see Beetz go from one DC project to another so soon.

One of the best actors almost cast in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” was Alicia Vikander. Variety stated that she was a leading contender for the Catwoman gig, but ultimately didn’t get the nod. Regardless, it’s easy to see why she would have been in the running here. In 2018, Vikander played Lara Croft for Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Tomb Raider.” While the film wasn’t a box office juggernaut nor a critical darling, most people loved Vikander as Lara, as she added a believability and likeability to the all-action adventurer. Expectedly, the studio would have taken notice of the goodwill and wanted to cast her in another big franchise.

While there’s no doubt that Vikander would be able to act her way out of a rubbish bag if necessary, there are other DC roles that she might be better suited for than Catwoman. Fans have suggested her for the likes of Wonder Woman or even Carol Ferris, and there are countless other parts she could make her own. The only question is, does she still want to play in the DC Universe?