Summary

Batman Begins could have featured a very different actor as Ra's Al Ghul.
Guy Pearce was almost cast as the villain in Batman Begins before Liam Neeson.
The choice of Neeson over Pearce influenced the dynamic between Ra's Al Ghul and Bruce Wayne.

The co-writer of Batman Begins reveals an alternative casting that would have completely changed Christopher Nolan's superhero film. Batman Begins was the first movie to feature the Caped Crusader since the poorly received Batman & Robin, which was highly cartoonish. Nolan's take on Batman was a grittier, more down-to-earth version that lost many of the fantastical elements of prior films, which helped to revitalize the genre, releasing in 2005, shortly after the success of the X-Men and Spider-Man movies.

Batman Begins stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with Nolan's take on Scarecrow played by Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Tom Wilkson breathing life into Carmine Falcone, among others. However, one of the film's most noted story elements belongs to villain Ra's Al Ghul, played by Ken Watanabe, or so audiences thought. Liam Neeson was also in Batman Begins as another character named Ducard, which was later revealed as a ruse. Neeson was the true Ra's Al Ghul, with Watanabe as a stand-in, allowing the character to hide in plain sight. However, according to co-writer David S. Goyer, the Christopher Nolan-directed origin story almost saw a very different actor taking on the villainous DC Comics role.

Christian Bale surrounded by a swarm of bats in Batman Begins

Batman Begins Remains The Definitive Dark Knight Origin Story

Batman Begins continues to be the go-to origin story for the Dark Knight, helping viewers gain a better understanding of the complex superhero.

Posts

By Samantha Andujar

While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Goyer revealed that the role of Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins narrowly went to actor Guy Pearce. Nolan had worked with Pearce previously on his film Memento, and it seems the director was keen to work with him again on Batman Begins. According to Goyer, it came down to "Guy and Liam," with Nolan favoring Pearce. However, it seems their conversation swayed the director to cast Neeson as the film's villain, with Goyer feeling "it just made more sense." Read Goyer's full remarks on Guy Pearce nearly playing Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins below:

It was Guy and Liam. I think Chris [Nolan] had sort of narrowed it down to those two, and I remember him calling me and us having a long conversation about which one. Chris had his own reasons. But I just remember thinking that Liam made a bit more sense because he was older, and I just thought instead of a fraternal [story], we were telling a story about Bruce growing up in the shadow of his father. So, it just made more sense to me.

Batman Begins Would Have Felt Like A Very Different Film With Guy Pearce As Ra's Al Ghul

Neeson's performance as Ra's Al Ghul is a standout among the stellar cast in Batman Begins. Notably, it was the villain's live-action debut, and Nolan's sleight of hand with the reveal was a nice moment for the uninitiated. Furthermore, it posed a fatherly relationship for a character struggling with losing his parents, ultimately making the relationship work better, and the betrayal cut deeper. As Goyer stated, Neeson's age worked best for the character, transforming Ra's Al Ghul and Bruce Wayne's relationship. Pearce would have given Bruce a more fraternal, or brotherly relationship, which often serves Bruce Wayne well, but wasn't perfect for the story they were telling.

Batman Begins seems to have made the right choice, leading to a trilogy of films often regarded as some of the best superhero films ever made. The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's Joker performance continues to echo as an all-time great among fans who love the movie. However, it all could've started differently if Guy Pearce had taken on the villain role in the first outing. Pearce would go on to play a villain in the MCU's Iron Man 3, adding an evil comic book character to his resume through a similar sleight of hand for the character. While Batman Begins almost featured a distinctly different villain, the movie looks to have made the right choice.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image