The Dark Knight Rises Christian Bale's Batman Audition Tape

[747]

Yeah, maybe it's just because I'm so used to it, but I miss the growl in that audition video.

 

[Mister J]

It's always good to get a look at some of the crafting of these things. Valid points made by Nolan there and I can see that coming through from Bale even early on. Apparently, it wasn't even on the table, but Amy would have been great as Rachel.

Still love how sleek that suit looks.

 

[Daryl]

That was super fun to watch. The Audition Bat-Voice was way more tolerable than the final one in Begins. And Amy Adams! Gosh I love her. Definitely want to see Cavill's audition now.

Henry Cavill never auditioned for Batman, much less screen tested and this is coming from the horse's mouth:

But no, he wasn't in the running for Twilight ("I never got to see a script; they never called me"), or Batman ("I'll have to ask Chris [Nolan] about that. I read that and thought, really? I must have been really drunk. No, I never auditioned").

Source

On an unrelated note, I'm very much looking forward to seeing Cillian Murphy's screen test. It is apparently included on the new blu-ray set.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I'm talking his audition for Man of Steel of course. I guess it's not an of course because you thought I wasn't.

On another note I know people keep saying it but I don't believe anybody had Katie Holmes in mind for Rachel. Nolan and Goyer can keep saying it but I believe she was a Warner Brothers choice, she screams Warner Brothers choice just like Blake Lively in Green Lantern.

 

[Senator Pleasury]

Great find.

Too bad they ruined the voice afterwards.

 

[LEVITIKUZ]

This maybe the closest we get to a crossover between Nolan's Batman/Snyder's Superman with Amy with Bale as Batman.

 

[JackWhite]

I actually find the audition voice a little safe and generic. I prefer the TDK/R growl, just not in all the scenes.

Examples- love it during the TDK ending montage, and in TDKR when he meets Catwoman in the tunnels. Less so in the bank vault in TDK and on the rooftop meeting with Dent/Gordon. I think those scenes are prime examples were they boosted the low end and distorted it too much in post too.

Wow. I thought I was the only one, lol. I'll add the scene in rises where he gives Catwoman the bat-pod.

 

[Frodo]

Maybe its the suit, but Bale kinda seems to be channeling Michael Keaton to me, as opposed to what turned out to be his final version. Even the way he moves reminds me alot of Keaton's Batman.

 

[PolishTank]

lol how bad was the line delivery by that guy who says "I don't know. I swear to God." !!

 

[shauner111]

Haha yeah but it doesn't matter, theyre not actors .

 

[Rorschach2012]

Am I the only one who thinks Bale looks better in that cowl than he did in TDK and TDKR? He looks so good in that suit, I really dig it.

 

[BatLobster]

I dunno, I think it looks kinda goofy on him but that adds to the charm of the audition. The cowl just seems a bit too big for his head.

 

[Senator Pleasury]

I dunno, I think it looks kinda goofy on him but that adds to the charm of the audition. The cowl just seems a bit too big for his head.

True, but still, much like in Begins, Bale's mouth area looks all tight.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Bale sounded excellent in Batman Begins

Nolan went overboard with the growl in TDK & TDKR though

 

[Gold Samurai]

Maybe its the suit, but Bale kinda seems to be channeling Michael Keaton to me, as opposed to what turned out to be his final version. Even the way he moves reminds me alot of Keaton's Batman.

Maybe because he can't move too much also LOL

The 90's suit had a severe lack of range of motion.


An interesting fact is that Bale was considered for the role of Robin in "Batman Forever"

So everything came full circle

 

[Daryl]

An interesting fact is that Bale was considered for the role of Robin in "Batman Forever.

Not according to Bale.

 

[Bruce Malone]

I think the voice he chose to go with in Begins was a natural improvement of his audition voice. I prefer the "swear to me!" from the movie over the more whispered one we got in the audition. That delivery would have worked more for keaton.

 

[henzINNIT]

This suit doesn't fit but looks better than the film-used one. Same with the voice. Dunno what happened there.

 

[Travesty]

That clip of Bale's screen test is amazing. If only Nolan would have taken the filter off his voice during the last scene with the Joker in TDK, gah!

I dunno, I loved that last scene. I really like what Nolan did to Bales voice.

-Joker: I think you and I are destined to do this forever.

-Batman: Yurrll be peanut butter and jelly furevur.

-Joker: Maybe we can share one? You know they'll be doubling up at the rate the inhabitants of this city are losing their minds.

-Batman: Dizzz curty, just showed you, that's itz furlll of purple, ready to burweve in gurrrrrd!

 

[Frodo]

Not according to Bale.

Yeah, I had heard the Bale auditioning for Robin wasn't true too. However several of the actors who eventually became famous did show up for auditions. Schumacer said himself that in the UK auditions that Jude Law, Alan Cumming, and Toby Stevens showed up. I think even Matt Damon tried out for it , and Leonardo DiCaprio was the runner up against Chris O'Donnell.

I even remember when Ben Affleck's name was thrown around for Bruce Wayne way back in the Darren Aronofsky/ Year One day's. Ironically, Bale's was as well...

 

[Bruce Malone]

The thing people keep missing about that scene is that Batman wasn't depicted as slurring and mumbling just for the sound of it but he was completely winded and exhausted when he was saying that to the joker.

Of course his "bat-voice" exemplified that but he was supposed to sound out of it.

 

[shauner111]

Yeah Nolan didn't have to over-do it but seriously...Bats was exhausted and just got beaten with a pipe or whatever to the ribs like 20 times over. Especially with that suit, the sides don't protect as much as the older one he had. He couldn't exactly pull a "Bane/Talia stabbing scene" and drop the voice entirely because Joker can't know who Batman is.

 

[Two-Face]

Kilmer's Batman suit looked great on Bale. I didn't see the "puffy" on him. I loved his voice here.

 

[jonathancrane]

I rewatched the tape again and found myself wishing that Amy Adams had been cast as Rachel, instead of Holmes.

 

[Two-Face]

Am I the only one who thinks Bale looks better in that cowl than he did in TDK and TDKR? He looks so good in that suit, I really dig it.

I loved it too.