Photo:Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Maximum Film/Alamy Stock

Jake Gyllenhaal attends the Los Angeles Premiere of MGM’s Guy Ritchie’s “The Covenant” at Directors Guild Of America on April 17, 2023; Christian Bale as Batman

Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Maximum Film/Alamy Stock

Jake Gyllenhaalalmost played the Caped Crusader for director Christopher Nolan’s famous franchise.

Screenwriter David S. Goyer appeared on a new episode of theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, where he revealed that he vouched for Gyllenhaal, now 42, as the actor to play Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, in 2005’sBatman Begins.

“We would chat about all sorts of things. There were a number of people who had screen-tested, and I had advocated for Gyllenhaal,” said Goyer. “I mean, Gyllenhaal is amazing, Christian Bale is amazing, so who knows what.”

Goyer said “I believe there is” when asked if there is footage somewhere of Gyllenhaal auditioning in a Batman costume.

He also recalled that an executive from Warner Bros. wantedLeonardo DiCaprioto play The Riddler as a villain for the sequelThe Dark Knight. But, Goyer said, “That’s not the way we work,” explaining that they made the movies around a story or theme, not building it around a specific villain.

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Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight, in 2008, starred the lateHeath Ledger(Gyllenhaal’sBrokeback Mountaincostar) as the Joker, and he won a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Katie Holmes played Bruce Wayne’s love interest Rachel Dawes inBatman Begins, but she was recast for the sequel — with Gyllenhaal’s actress sisterMaggie Gyllenhaal.

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Jake got his comic-book movie moment in 2019 when he played supervillain Mysterio opposite Tom Holland inSpider-Man: Far From Home.

Jake Gyllenhaal.Dave J Hogan/Dave J. Hogan/Getty

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 19: Jake Gyllenhaal attends the “Strange World” Family Gala Screening - Arrivals at Picturehouse Central on November 19, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images)

He toldVanity Fairlast year that his experience making theSpider-Manmovie changed his perspective on acting after taking himself “too seriously.”

“It was such a cathartic thing to be able to throw out away all that seriousness and really become the actor that I think I’ve always wanted to be in a lot of ways. … We go through journeys in our life where we’re finding ourselves, and in the case ofSpider-Man, I think I realized, ‘Hey, you know, acting’s really fun, you know, enjoy it!’ "

source: people.com