“So it never went further than that”: Christopher Nolan Wanted to Cast ‘Oppenheimer’ Actor as Batman but He was Interested in Another Role, Eventually Losing Both to Christian Bale
Christopher Nolan is famous for scripting enthralling stories and presenting them on the big screen laden with spellbinding shots.
The iconic director went the extra mile while making the biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, as he shot the entire movie on powerful Imax cameras (usually reserved for big action sequences) to ensure his audience gets the gist of the events that shaped the modern world and its politics.
However, there’s arguably one thing the British-American filmmaker does even better than capturing moments: carving the characters that not only lift the plot of the movie but leave a touching mark on the minds of viewers.
How Oppenheimer Actor Josh Hartnett Missed Out on Working With Christopher Nolan Before
Cillian Murphy has been working with Christopher Nolan for close to two decades, but Oppenheimer proved to be his first break in a lead role for a Nolan movie. The Irishman has clearly made the most of the opportunity and is already being touted to win an Oscar for his portrayal of the father of the Atomic Bomb.
As such, it’s little wonder why the 53-year-old is so sought after by A-list actors, who seldom fumble any role the genius has in mind for them. Still, Josh Hartnett had seemingly different plans when he was approached by him.
The Dark Knight Trilogy is perhaps Nolan’s most popular work, which ruled theaters three times between 2005 to 2012. The movie’s success also took the popularity of Christian Bale, who led the film as Bruce Wayne/Batman, to the next level.
Turns out, before Bale was finalized to wear the famous cape, Nolan also considered Hartnett for the role, but his attention was elsewhere. Accordingly, things never even reached the screen test round.
Nolan revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast:
“No, it never got that far. I met with Josh and if I recall, he was a young actor whose work I was very interested in. I had an initial conversation with him but he had read my brother’s script for ‘The Prestige’ at the time and was more interested in getting involved with that. So it never went further than that.”
Unfortunately for the promising actor, he even failed to land a role in The Prestige, which again fell into Bale’s lap. Interestingly, Hartnett’s then-girlfriend Scarlett Johansson was also roped in to work in the 2006 hit drama.
What Is Josh Hartnett’s Role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Opportunity rarely knocks twice. But Hartnett is certainly fortunate, as Oppenheimer finally paved the way for him to collaborate with Nolan.
The 45-year-old is portraying Nuclear physicist Ernest Lawrence in the biographical feature, which is still performing pretty well in theaters. Lawrence was an important figure in Oppenheimer’s life and worked with him on the Manhattan Project.
He was so close with Oppenheimer that he named one of his sons, Robert. Lawrence also withdrew from testifying against him during the security clearance hearing of 1954 because of illness.
Source: Variety
