Screen test footage from Batman Begins shows Christian Bale wearing Val Kilmer's Batsuit from Batman Forever. Bale played Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, which consists of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises. Kilmer on the other hand replaced Michael Keaton as Batman for Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever in 1995.
Nolan's trilogy did phenomenally well with most fans and critics, with Batman Begins being nominated for one Oscar and The Dark Knight winning two Oscars and getting six other nominations. Batman Forever didn't go over as well with fans, but despite the negative reviews, the film managed to get three Oscar nominations. Needless to say, Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy was drastically different from earlier Batman movies. Nolan created much more grounded and realistic superhero movies, two traits that weren't really present in the Batman anthology from 1989 to 1997. While the films couldn't be more different, new test footage shows a strange connection.
Screen tests from the Dark Knight trilogy were shared on YouTube from vocazone (via IGN) and show Bale auditioning for the role of Batman in Kilmer's Sonar Batsuit. The video also shows Cillian Murphy and Eion Bailey auditioning in the same suit, before the video goes on to screen tests for different characters in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. The full video can be seen below.
While Ben Affleck took over the role of Bruce Wayne for the DC Extended Universe, the character has once again been recast with Robert Pattinson now playing Batman. Pattinson will play the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is said to take place outside of the DCEU. Production on The Batman may have gotten delayed due to the Coronavirus, but fans have gotten plenty of looks at the film through leaked set photos and images from Reeves showing Pattinson's Batmobile and costume. Reeves seems to be making his Batman film a serious and grounded film like the Dark Knight trilogy, but Pattinson's Batsuit is clearly taking inspiration from the Batman: Arkham video games.
It's unknown why the Batman Forever suit was chosen for Bale and the other actors to test in, but it's likely just the suit that was most accessible for Warner Bros at the time. Having a Batsuit like this clearly would not have worked for what Nolan was trying to create in Batman Begins, but it's still fun to see the actors test in Kilmer's suit since it has become one of the most iconic costumes from the '90s.