Christian Bale Auditioned For ‘Batman Begins’ In Val Kilmer’s Batman Costume [Video]

Christian Bale had to audition for Batman Begins in the same costume Val Kilmer wore in director Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever.

Fans of acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s trilogy can pick up the The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray box set on Tuesday (September 24). In addition to all three films, Batman fanatics can obsess over a plethora of special features.

Included in the batch of goodies is a clip showcasing Christian Bale’s audition for the lead role in Batman Begins. Since the movie was still in development at the time, the actor had to wear Val Kilmer’s Batman costume from Batman Forever. You can find the footage embedded below.

According to Worst Previews, the Blu-ray box set also includes Cillian Murphy’s audition for the role of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. Although he didn’t snag this particular role, he went on to play the Scarecrow in Nolan’s flick.

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition also includes a few conversations with Warner Bros. executives about Christopher Nolan’s pitch for his Caped Crusader flick. According to the studio, the filmmaker only needed 15 minutes to convince everyone that it was a good idea.

“The pitch that Chris had… it was quick. It was ten or 15 minutes. But it was so holistic, and it really was ‘Batman Begins,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ Greg Silverman explained.

Former Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov added, “Chris came in and said, ‘Look, this is what I want to do in the movie. This is what I want to do with it visually. This is where I think the character needs to go. I think it’s going to be different than any superhero movie anybody’s seen before. And what I really want to do is take that genre and embrace it as a real film genre.”

Check out the audition video below.

Are you a fan of Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies? Will you pick up a copy of The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray this week?

[Image via Warner Bros. Pictures]