Christian Bale's Batman Audition

[BatmAngelus]

This video comes from Batman-News, which took it from a featurette on the upcoming Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-ray release.  I thought it'd be cool to share this:

As you can see, future Lois Lane Amy Adams read as Rachel for the auditions. 

Not sure who played Falcone, but it sounds like the Nolan brothers' uncle, John, who played Wayne Enterprises exec Fredericks in Begins and Rises, may have been reading Gordon.

Bale was wearing Val Kilmer's "sonar" suit from Batman Forever.  What's funny is that I always thought that suit was metallic grey, but the lighting shows that it's black.  This was an appropriate suit for the audition, I think, since it's the closest suit from the old movies to the Batman Begins suit, right down to the oval-less bat insignia on the chest.

Curious what you guys think in comparing Bale's voice here to the one he used in the movie.  I definitely prefer the "Swear to me" in the audition.

[The Laughing Fish]

Oh FFS, Bale and Nolan had it right in the bloody auditions! 

Bale's acting in the auditions was ten times better than the final product shown in the whole series.  I can't believe they screwed it up, it's unforgivable.

You had to project massive energy through this costume in order to not question the costume.

Not if that "massive energy" ends up making you look foolish that it instead makes all the scenes in the costume laughable and painful to watch. Bale's acting especially inside the costume in the final cut made me actually question the whole suspension of disbelief in all the films.

And as for having Amy Adams auditioning in the screen-test: if she was especially available to play Rachel for the film and she wanted to play the role, then it is also unforgivable they chose Katie Holmes instead. Nolan, you !@#$%& idiot!

[johnnygobbs]

And as for having Amy Adams auditioning in the screen-test: if she was especially available to play Rachel for the film and she wanted to play the role, then it is also unforgivable they chose Katie Holmes instead. Nolan, you !@#$%& idiot!

Yes, and since she didn't get married to Tom 'ultra-controlling husband' Cruise it's likely she'd be allowed to return for the sequel and wouldn't have to be replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

[BatmAngelus]

According to a past interview, Adams only helped out with the auditions as a favor and wasn't actually up for the part:
http://www.johnbierly.com/4556

Still, I think Adams would've been a better Rachel than both Holmes and Gyllenhaal.

While some shots make Bale look a bit heavier than he actually was, I think the shot of Bale performing the Gordon scene ("He'll talk to me") looks better than a lot of the shots of his Batman in the trilogy, partially due to a bigger/better mouth opening in the cowl.

Oh, what could've been- Bale in a better cowl, acting more like he did in the audition, with Amy Adams as Rachel.

[The Laughing Fish]

According to a past interview, Adams only helped out with the auditions as a favor and wasn't actually up for the part:
http://www.johnbierly.com/4556

Still, I think Adams would've been a better Rachel than both Holmes and Gyllenhaal.

While some shots make Bale look a bit heavier than he actually was, I think the shot of Bale performing the Gordon scene ("He'll talk to me") looks better than a lot of the shots of his Batman in the trilogy, partially due to a bigger/better mouth opening in the cowl.

Oh, what could've been- Bale in a better cowl, acting more like he did in the audition, with Amy Adams as Rachel.

The part where Bale read the line "It's not who I am underneath..." in the audition sounds a lot more tragic and heartfelt compared to the forced, cringe-inducing way it was done in the actual film too. Sure, Bale still seemed to have some difficulties pronouncing certain vowels sometimes during the audition, but his acting overall was solid enough. I can't comprehend how they thought switching from that to the stupid overacting in the end was a good idea, and what's worse is I have a very hard time believing anyone actually liked it.

Listening to Nolan confirms my opinion that the man has a very flawed sense of realism in a comic book movie. If we can suspend our disbelief that Superman can disguise himself as Clark Kent by wearing only a pair of glasses, then I don't think Bruce Wayne disguising himself with a quieter, subtler and more coherent voice as Batman is too much to ask.

[Cobblepot4Mayor]

If we're having a moan about his voice I'll have a moan about the costume. Bale's batsuits were always appalling. Seeing him in Kilmer's outfit is extremely cool. How I miss the longer, sharper, straighter bat ears of previous movies. They desperately need to set this right again for Ben Affleck. The ears for me is what makes Batman potentially look frightening. I've never found them to be silly looking. They clearly got scared of them on the newer films.

I always thought Bale's voice sounded better in Begins. He appeared, like Michael Keaton, to use a tougher version of his own voice. There still are a few dodgier moments of course such as: "I can't beat two of your pawns". God that one's terrible. Sounds so old and cranky. But things got far far worse on The Dark Knight and Rises. That's when it seemed to me he introduced the bizarre "Bat Voice" with the most horrendous offender being "SOMEONE KNOWS WHERRRE EEEE ISSSSSSSSS!" to Eric Roberts character.

I hate to be critical of Bale because I liked his Batman and will miss him. I think it's far too easy to mock him because we're all Keaton fans and just for the sake of pissing off the Nolan worshipers. I really wish he hadn't come up with that voice though. Largely I think this is more the fault of the writer and director. Their Batman had so much more dialogue and Batman always works better when he speaks less. His overuse was a total mistake.

[The_Batman_of_1989]

i'll admit, watching Batman-related Nolan interviews gets a bit exhausting. i've got nothing against the guy really but he tends to conclude most interviews with praise for himself and his cast...

[Cobblepot4Mayor]

i'll admit, watching Batman-related Nolan interviews gets a bit exhausting. i've got nothing against the guy really but he tends to conclude most interviews with praise for himself and his cast...

Well sure. If he didn't and spent his time dissing casts and his own work one might ask just why he became a director in the first place. If he were cynical and jaded about his own creations he might perhaps find himself out of a job elsewhere.

[Silver Nemesis]

Here's an image from Cillian Murphy's screen test.

[The_Batman_of_1989]

i'll admit, watching Batman-related Nolan interviews gets a bit exhausting. i've got nothing against the guy really but he tends to conclude most interviews with praise for himself and his cast...

Well sure. If he didn't and spent his time dissing casts and his own work one might ask just why he became a director in the first place. If he were cynical and jaded about his own creations he might perhaps find himself out of a job elsewhere.

ha i know you were just trying to be a wiseass, but to put what i was saying in layman's terms: there's a big difference between saying 'i think we made some good batman pictures, and i'm proud of em, and i have a talented cast' & calling your series 'revisionist', or acting as if Bale's some kinda visionary for doing an exaggerated version of what had been done years before (the dual Batman/Bruce Wayne voices.) I think the worship the films get just kinda went to his head unfortunately, & i'll leave it at that