Leonardo DiCaprio nearly portrayed Batman in The Dark Knight Trilogy opposite Christian Bale’s The Riddler

While Christopher Nolan is still praised for The Dark Knight Trilogy, Leonardo DiCaprio was set to join him in the saga at some point. Continue reading!

The world of Batman revolves around his nightly missions to keep Gotham safe, as well as the villains who haunt the city. Unlike in other comics, the antagonist in the Dark Knight’s world is on equal footing with the protagonist.

As a result, the names Joker, Penguin, and others have become synonymous with bad guys. Paul Dano recently played Riddler in The Batman alongside Robert Pattinson. But did you know that in Christopher Nolan’s legendary The Dark Knight trilogy, Leonardo DiCaprio almost played that role?

Relashionship bettween Batman and Leonardo DiCaprio

With Christian Bale donning the Batman costume for the iconic Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan entered the world of Bruce Wayne. The three films, which began in 2005 and ended in 2012, are regarded as masterclasses in the creation of a superhero film.

While the filmmaker was about to bring in Leonardo to play The Riddler on Warner Bros.’ request, he managed to give Heath Ledger legendary status by making him Joker.

So, for the uninitiated, Christopher Nolan stated in various interviews that he desired a very physical adversary, and people immediately pointed to The Riddler. According to reports, Warner Bros. wants Leonardo DiCaprio to play the role.

[Co-writer] David Goyer said that at the premiere of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. executives were already talking about a villain for The Dark Knight Rises — ‘it’s going to be The Riddler, and we want Leonardo DiCaprio,'” Showbiz Cheatsheet reported back then.

However, Christopher Nolan cast Tom Hardy as Bane, and Riddler was not cast at all. The character first appeared in Matt Reeves’ adaptation of the Gotham story, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. While there have been hints about the consideration over the years, no one has confirmed why it did not occur.