Ever wondered what The Dark Knight Trilogy could look like if instead of Christopher Nolan, it was directed by say, Quentin Tarantino? Well, these are my personal picks for who I think Tarantino would cast in his version of the Caped Crusader trilogy. For this I tried to use mostly actors that Tarantino either has worked with, or has expressed interest in working with. Though I did sprinkle in a few other picks of my own, who I think he would be willing to cast.
Also, just for the sake of this list, let’s assume that this trilogy somehow doesn’t interfere with any of the films Tarantino made in our timeline.
Batman/ Bruce Wayne – Leonardo DiCaprio
You can’t have a Batman movie, without the main character. Bruce Wayne is a smart, rich, charming individual. Think roles like The Wolf of Wall Street, or The Great Gatsby. He’s brilliant at playing that kind of role. I’m honestly surprised he doesn’t show up on fan castings more often.
As for the psychical, he already pushed himself to the limit for his role in The Revenant, having allegedly even slept in animal carcasses outside in the blistering cold. He wasn’t ready to take on the role of Anakin Skywalker, but maybe, just maybe, he’d would’ve been big enough a fan to played the Caped Crusader. Combine that with the fact that he is a massive fan of Tarantino, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be up for it.
The only key difference I see in Wayne’s portrayal heard would be that DiCaprio would have probably sounded smarter, in exchange for less toughness. Though I’m sure Tarantino would be able to help out with that.
Alfred Pennyworth – Harvey Keitel
Keitel was a core piece of Tarantino’s beginning. Having produced and starred in Reservoir Dogs after reading the script, he took a chance on a first time director who could barley even afford to live. You can say Tarantino owes him a debt of sorts, though yes, Keitel’s career did heavily profit off of Tarantino, a crucial role in a massive blockbuster franchise would benefit him greatly. Based on his age, combination of boldness and kindess, and yes, his personal relationship with Tarantino, there’s really no going wrong here. Sure, he probably can’t do a British accent, nor do I consider him to be AS good an actor as Michael Caine, it would absolutely make sense for Keitel to play the butler. Sure, I could just go with Caine, since Tarantino has expressed a great interest in working with him, but that would’ve been too easy.
Rachel Dawes – Rosario Dawson
Now, I understand that this particular character may not have the same name-recognigition as most others on the list, but Katie Holmes played an important role in the life of Bruce Wayne. On several ocassions she nearly pulled him away from the Batman lifestlye. Dawson worked with Tarantino in the not-so-great 2007 flick ‘2007’. So maybe The Dark Knight Trilogy would be a way to do justice to the duo.
Henri Ducard – Johnny Depp
I know what you’re thinking, this is probably, yes I’m admitting it, probably a terrible choice, but let explain. A, in the same interview about Michael Caine, Tarantino also expressed interest in working with Johnny Depp, the two having apparently already talked about the idea of working with each other. B, forget the whole thing with Amber Heard, forget whatever else you may have heard about him over the years, but Depp is a talented actor. You can’t take that away from him. Besides, back in 2005 the rumors didn’t exist anyway.
While most known for the drunk pirate Jack Sparrow, Depp’s range extemds to that of higher elegeance and grace. Exactly the kind that a character like Ducard would need. Under the right circumstances, he’d be a perfect choice.
Scarecrow – Tobin Bell
Given how Tarantino produced the Hostel films, and Hostel is said to have been inspired by the Saw films, it makes sense that Tarantino would have seen the Saw movies and consider incorporating Jigsaw’s edgy, gritty, style of intimidation to create the ultimate scarecrow. Sure, it may or may not have became a copy-paste Jigsaw portrayal with a little Tarantino thrown into the mix, but regardless I honestly don’t know who else to go with.
Lucius Fox – Samuel L. Jackson
One could argue that Sam Jackson might be a bit too aggressive for a character like Fox, but if we gave the character a little more Nick Fury, a little less ‘nice guy’, Jackson could definateley pull off the character. Besides, SLJ and Tarantino have been working together since basically the beginning of both their legendary careers. He usually manages to find a way into his films; even if only a role as small as his in Kill Bill.
Carmine Falcone – Michael Madsen
Madsen is another frequent Tarantino collaborater who I’m sure would have found his way into the Dark Knight Trilogy. The role I think he’d suit best, is the notorious mobster, Carmine Falcone. With his boldness, tough guy attitude and the way he delivers dialogue, he’d be a perfect fit to play the character, sure Falcone was only a small part of Batman Begins, but I think Tarantino would have given him a few more scenes. As for character change, I think he’d be like what Tarantino once said in reference to Bruce Willis almost playing Bill in Kill Bill”A little less champaigne, a little more beer”.
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Ra’s al Ghul – Gordon Liu
al Ghul may have only been a minor character in the Nolan movie, but he was technically still important. The character most commonly referred to as Ra’s al Ghul by the media and general viewers, is in fact Henri Ducard, who was played by Liam Neeson. This is Ken Watanbe’s character, you know, the one who died after about three minutes of screentime. For this character, I think Tarantino would cast Japanese actor Sonny Chiba, who played Samurai sword maker Hattori Hanzo. The character portrayal would probably be more or less the same as in KB with more mystery.
-The Screenwriter
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