Richard Armitage reveals he was up for the role of Batman before Affleck was cast
Contributed by
James Comtois
Jun 15, 2018

So the rumors we heard all those many years ago were true — Richard Armitage was indeed up for the part of Batman! The Hobbit and Castlevania star told Digital Spy that he tested for the part and was on the shortlist to play the Dark Knight before the role was ultimately given to Ben Affleck.

"There was a little flurry once upon a time just after I'd come out of The Hobbit where I auditioned for Batman," Armitage told the outlet. "It was at the same time that Christian Bale was leaving, there were about five or six actors that were in line for that character, so I went through quite a process with that."

Armitage admits that the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman fascinated him. "The sort of darker side of a man, and the desire to right some wrongs... I think it's really interesting, that character Bruce Wayne.”

But alas, as we all know, it was not meant to be. Ah, well. Perhaps there’s always Wolverine?

Well, even though we can totally see him in the role, judging from how the DC Extended Universe has been going, it looks as though Armitage may have dodged a bullet.

This is especially true as we see the long, sad ballad of the floundering DCEU continue. The latest bump in the road is that Matt Reeves, director of the (theoretically?) forthcoming standalone Batman movie may be looking to reboot the franchise altogether, possibly with a new actor. So, there's a chance that 2017’s Justice League may have been the end of the road for Batffleck (and this is not the first time we’ve heard this rumor). We shall see.