Pierce Brosnan has played the hunky protagonist in his fair share of action movies, including his infamous role as 007 in ‘Goldeneye’ and ‘The World is Not Enough’. But when he was given the opportunity to play billionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne in the 1989 film by Tim Burton, he shot it down – and just wait until you hear why.
Brosnan, ever the gentleman, told ABC that he couldn’t take the role seriously, which is why he turned it down. In fact, his exact words were, “any man who wears his underpants outside of his pants can’t be taken seriously.” But as it turns out, he may still turn up in the MCU after all, as Alfred in the upcoming ‘The Batman’ movie, starring Robert Pattinson. That’s a role that the distinguished actor is much more suited for, don’t you think?
Heath Ledger Almost Didn’t Play His Iconic 'Joker' Role
Heath Ledger is hands down the best Joker in the history of Batman films. He embodied the joker. He was the joker. Except the late actor wasn’t originally set to play that role at all, but rather the complete opposite – he was to play the part of Batman in 'The Dark Knight'.
That’s right, Christopher Nolan had his heart set on casting Ledger in the role of the protagonist, but Heath had zero interest in playing the bat. As a last resort, Nolan flipped the script and asked if he’d be interested in playing the joker – a role that he not only accepted but made entirely his own. After Ledger’s untimely death, false reports started circulating the web, indicating that landing that role is what ultimately led to his doom. Ledger’s family insists there isn’t any truth to that and he was super happy playing the role, as it was the kind he loved the most.
Jude Law: Superman
Law was up for the role of DC’s 'Superman' in Brett Ratner’s version of the film. He was in the running against some major contenders like Nicholas Cage and Josh Hartnett, but ultimately decided against continuing on with an audition.
According to an interview the star gave, he turned down the role for a few reasons. First, he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of gracing magazine covers in a spandex suit. He also told reporters that he didn’t want to spend his career being known as the “guy who played Superman.” That’s understandable.
Jake Gyllenhaal as Rick Flag
Originally, Tom Hardy was set to play the role of badass military man Rick Flag in 'Suicide Squad'. And when he backed out, guess who was next in line? Yep, Jake Gyllenhaal. But the 'Nightcrawler' actor didn’t accept, and no one’s really sure why not. When asked about it, he basically just said “nope,” he didn’t take it.
Jake got another shot at joining the world of superheroes and supervillains, though, this time with Marvel rather than DC. He hit the big screen as Mysterio in 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' in June, teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Holland and Zendaya for the sequel to 'Homecoming'. Most recently, the actor starred alongside Carey Mulligan in the award-winning film 'Wildlife' that came out in 2018.
Matt Damon Almost Played Two-Face
Matt Damon knows his stuff when it comes to kicking butt on camera, thanks to his lengthy stint as superspy Jason Bourne. So, producers offered him the chance to play the iconic role of Harvey Dent, AKA Two-Face, in 'The Dark Knight' – but he had to pass it up. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play the part, because he did tell MTV he’s a Christopher Nolan fan, but scheduling issues prevented him from accepting.
The A-lister gave an interview after the film came out and said that Aaron Eckhart, who ended up with the role, did a great job and obviously the movie “didn’t suffer.” No, no it did not. 'The Dark Knight' is one of the best Batman films of all time.