90s Teen Heartthrob Almost Stole Christian Bale Batman Role?
We’ve had a lot of great Batman actors through the decades, with names like Mickael Keaton and Christian Bale being thrown in as the GOATs. However, Christian Bale’s name could have been left off that list if someone else was chosen. At one point, talk swirled of Buffy actor David Boreanaz being offered the Batman role first, and despite many outlets still reporting on this, the actor himself squashed those rumors long ago.
David Boreanaz Was Never Offered The Role
It’s still not clear exactly where the David Boreanaz/Batman rumor started, but the Angel actor set the record straight, saying that he was never approached to take on the caped crusader. His best guess was that it started as a joke by his agent.
Angel Is A Lot Like Batman
It would have been easy to imagine this rumor being true at the time. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, David Boreanaz plays a dark, brooding character, much like Batman.
Angel was first introduced to the world in the Buffy Season 1 episode “Welcome to the Hellmouth.” Angel was the famed vampire with a soul. Tortured by the countless victims he preyed on for centuries, he appeared in Buffy as a dark loner, apprehensive about getting close to the slayer and letting others in.
David Boreanaz’s Angel sounds a lot like Batman – minus the countless victim’s part.
Angel Spinoff Showed Off His Detective Skills
The actor would really hone in on his brooding skills in the Angel series, which was where the actor really showed how similar the vampire could be to Batman. The spinoff was much darker than Buffy, and took a more episodic detective turn of things.
When David Boreanaz’s Angel premiered in 1999, many fans compared it to Batman, praising it as being the unofficial live-action Batman fans had begged for. The Dark Knight Trilogy wouldn’t release its first film, Batman Begins, for another six years.
Other Actors Who Were Almost Batman
David Boreanaz wasn’t the only celebrity rumored to have had a shot at playing Batman. Cillian Murphy – a Christopher Nolan favorite – was considered for the part before Nolan chose Christian Bale. Murphy did, however, land a villain role in the trilogy playing The Scarecrow.
Another Dark Knight Trilogy actor auditioned for the part, and we’re extremely glad this one fell through: Heath Ledger was nearly Batman before he landed the role of the Joker in The Dark Knight.
There’s Still Time To Make David Boreanaz Batman
Even though David Boreanaz never played Batman, we think the 55-year-old actor still has what it takes to play the masked vigilante. James Gunn has confirmed plans for a Batman film in his new DCU, titled The Brave and the Bold.
The film will feature an older Bruce Wayne teaming with his son Damian Wayne as Robin. It’s the perfect time to bring the detective-style Batman to the big screen, and David Boreanaz has proven through his run in the Buffyverse and Bones that he has what it takes to pull off a Batman that could give Christian Bale’s Dark Knight a run for his money.
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