Josh Hartnett has set the record straight on old rumors about him being cast as Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman in the early days of his career. Hartnett was a major rising star in the late 90's and early 2000's, following appearances in films such as The Faculty, Pearl Harbor, and Black Hawk Down. However, as the years rolled on, Hartnett's public visibility would noticeably decrease.
Although Hartnett hasn't been as prominent a star as his early career rise would have seemingly indicated, he's still kept busy with work in the independent scene. In recent years, Hartnett has begun to return to more mainstream prominence, with a particularly notable appearance on the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, which ran for three seasons. Additionally, Hartnett will also be seen alongside Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie's upcoming action film Cash Truck.
In an interview with Variety, Hartnett addressed rumors linking him to a number of superhero roles during his rise to fame in the early 2000's. Of his possible casting as Spider-Man and Superman, Hartnett called the former a non-story while shedding some light on the latter, stating "I didn’t turn down Spider-Man. I don’t know where that came from. I’d only turned down Superman as a straight-up offer. But I was, at that time of my career, where a lot of people were asking me to do those types of movies." Hartnett further elaborated on turning the role of the Man of Steel down by saying, "I’m a little bit outside of the box and had the leverage to do that, and that’s the direction I chose."
Additionally, Spider-Man and Superman weren't the only superheroes where Hartnett's name has circled the rumor mill. The actor was also said to have been under consideration to portray Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, a role which would eventually be assumed by another former teen heartthrob, Robert Pattinson, for Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman. However, Hartnett again dispelled the rumor that he was ever a serious contender for the role, saying "No, Batman wasn’t an audition or an offer. It was a conversation with the director [Christopher Nolan]. I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there. When you say one thing one time about it, and now it gets blown up."
With superhero movies becoming the dominant pop culture force that they are today, seemingly every major star has had his or her name attached to at least one DC or Marvel character at some point. Indeed, the meteoric rise of comic book movies really saw its early beginnings during Hartnett's rise to A-list status during the same period. With Hartnett emerging as a household name as superhero movies were truly beginning to take hold, it's not altogether surprising that he was at least rumored as being under consideration to portray one at the time.
However, it's clear from Hartnett's words that he's perfectly content with where his career has taken him, and judging from his disinterest in superhero roles during the early stages of his career, audiences shouldn't be holding their breath for him to jump into the comic book genre now. However, that's also clearly for the best. With at least half a dozen superhero movies dropping over the next few years, geeks around the world have plenty to excite them in that arena, while Josh Hartnett has managed to take his own career in the exact direction he wanted it to go, despite never starring in Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman.
Source: Variety