Overview

• Aronofsky confirms he co-wrote a Batman: Year One–inspired script with Frank Miller that he describes as “down and dirty” and rated R, with no interest in selling Batmobile toys.
• He says he took the Batman job primarily to gain leverage to make The Fountain and acknowledges he never took the superhero project seriously as a real prospect.
• The filmmaker says he wanted Joaquin Phoenix for the lead role, while Warner Bros. favored Freddie Prinze Jr., signaling a sharp divide over casting and tone.
• His draft would have radically altered canon, including a homeless Bruce Wayne and an Alfred reimagined as an auto shop owner known as “Little Al.”
• The project stalled in pre-production and was abandoned, with Aronofsky revisiting the details in a new Happy Sad Confused interview while promoting Caught Stealing, due in theaters on August 29.