The Batman movie Darren Aronofsky never made
Before his adaption of the comic book was canned, Darren Aronofsky’s take on the iconic franchise was set to be one of the darkest Batman films ever made. Following the success of Pi and Requiem For A Dream, Aronofsky’s reimagining of Frank Miller’s seminal comic book intended to return the franchise to its darker roots. This decision delighted fans because Aronofsky had become cinema’s latest indie darling and was deemed capable of rescuing Batman’s disastrous spell at the box office.
Previously, audiences had been subjected to 1997’s Batman & Robin, a project which was panned by critics and universally considered one of the worst superhero movies ever made. A fifth Batman film hung in the balance, with the proposed Batman Unchained follow-up being cancelled by Warner Bros. Prior to Aronofsky’s short-lived involvement, Batman & Robin director Joel Schumacher had been eager to direct a Year One adaptation as early as 1998.
As the title suggests, the story follows Batman in his first year back as a crime-fighting vigilante after a 12-year absence from Gotham City. It was the perfect way to breathe life into the Batman series because of its standalone nature, giving new audiences an ideal entry point. Unsure of how to salvage the iconic character, the studio had considered several directors to facilitate Batman’s redemption, eventually settling on Christopher Nolan with 2005’s Batman Begins. But Aronofsky’s Batman: Year One was a notable contender before it became clear his tone wasn’t a good fit for the franchise.
Aronofsky wanted to push the dark nature of Batman’s origins more than had ever been done before, resulting in numerous squabbles over casting, leading to the film being quickly cancelled. Interestingly, given his later role in Joker, Aronofsky favoured Joaquin Phoenix for the lead role, while the studio continually argued they wanted Freddie Prinze Jr. The Dark Knight Trilogy actor Christian Bale was also approached, but the project was cancelled before anything could be finalised.
Given Aronofsky’s ability to create uniquely bleak cinema, there’s been much speculation about what the film would’ve looked like if it saw the light of day. It seemed Aronofsky wanted to humanise Batman and show audiences that even superheroes bleed like the rest of us. He had planned on including graphic violence from the get-go and would have had Batman wearing dentures for the film’s entirety following a nasty fight where he loses his front teeth. Aronofsky envisioned the film with an R-rating, which the studio was equally unimpressed with. Batman was their biggest earner, and they felt limiting its audience’s age would’ve been a handicap before it even hit the cinemas.
Ultimately, Aronofsky’s vision proved to be too much of a departure from the indestructible superhero role the studio favoured.
