Remember when Katie Holmes played Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins before backing out of Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight trilogy? Fans were even more confused when she chose to appear in the female-led comedy film, Mad Money. It was rumored that Holmes’ ex-husband, Tom Cruise, was behind her decision to drop out of the Christian Bale film.
The most suspicious part about Holmes dropping out of the billion-dollar movie was the timing. She and Cruise debuted as a couple in April 2005. Not too long after they started dating, Cruise and Holmes announced their engagement. In April 2006, they welcomed daughter Suri, and in November 2006, they got married in Italy.
Holmes soon took a break from her career to care for her daughter. When Nolan approached her in 2007, the actress turned him down. She cited scheduling conflicts, but her most significant project that came out alongside The Dark Knight was the major flop movie, Mad Money. This led many sources to point their finger towards Cruise.
Katie Holmes turned down
THE DARK KNIGHT to star in this instead.
There are theories:
•She was pressured by Tom Cruise to turn it down, because he wasn’t going to take a back seat to anyone
•She talked about her relationship with Cruise in interviews pic.twitter.com/sZC5ZeK7l9
The wild accusations spread that Cruise wanted her out of the Batman franchise because he “wasn’t going to take a back seat to anyone.” Following the bad reception of her film alongside Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah, she shifted her focus from films to Broadway.
Interestingly, other factors could have also contributed to Holmes’s exit. Despite her $1 million payday for Batman Begins, she might have been disappointed because of her Golden Raspberry nomination for the role. In the end, Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes.
Katie Holmes on Her Exit from The Dark Knight Returns
Katie Holmes’s acting may not have impressed many in the first Batman film, but Christopher Nolan wanted her back. He didn’t care about her Razzie, but Nolan was met with a no from the actress. He explained the situation during an interview with Business Insider. He shared:
Katie wasn’t available for the role, which I wasn’t very happy about, but these things happen, and I was very, very fortunate that Maggie [Gyllenhaal] was able to take it over.
Holmes too addressed her exit with the outlet. She gave the diplomatic answer that she wanted to pursue other roles at the time and felt that they were more right for her than Rachel. She further shared that Gyllenhaal did a wonderful job in the sequel. Holmes shared:
You know, I really enjoyed working on the first one and I wish I could have worked with Chris Nolan again. It was a decision that I made at that time and it was right for me at that moment, so I don’t have any regrets. I think that Maggie did a wonderful job. But I really hope that I get to work with Chris some day.
During a 2008 interview with MTV, she even gave her blessing to the entire movie and shared that she was excited to see it. She shared, “I wish them all the best for this summer. I’m excited to see [‘The Dark Knight’].” She reiterated that she had no regrets for choosing Mad Money instead of The Dark Knight.
Maggie Gyllenhaal shared with The New York Post that she sought Holmes’s blessing before she took on the role. She shared, “I wanted to be sure, first of all, that I had her blessing. And I was assured that I did. I’m a big fan of hers. I think she was really great” (via ABC News).
Other Allegations Against Tom Cruise During His Marriage to Katie Holmes
When Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes went their separate way in 2012, several allegations emerged about Cruise’s controlling behavior. TMZ reported that the Top Gun actor controlled Holmes like a puppet master and revealed a couple of instances when he allegedly involved himself in Holmes’s films.
TMZ reported that sources claimed Cruise executed an “art kill”. He banned any promotional material of Thank You for Smoking showing Holmes and lead actor Aaron Eckhart engaged in “anything else compromising,” including kissing scenes.
It was also reported that he prohibited Holmes from flying with the cast of Batman Begins. A source told the outlet that Morgan Freeman was reportedly “disgusted” by the situation.
Interestingly, Jason Reitman, the director of Thank You for Smoking, later shut down the rumors of Cruise’s involvement in his movie. He shared (via Fox News):
Well, first of all, there are no compromising positions in the film. It’s a very tame scene. I don’t want anybody to be disappointed when they see it. It’s nothing but humorous humping really. And the last time I talked to Tom Cruise, I was 14 years old and he made no mention of the scene then.
Cruise hesitantly admitted during his deposition for his lawsuit against Bauer Media that Holmes separated from him to protect Suri from Scientology (via The HuffPost). It was reported that the actor continues to be estranged from Suri even after a decade (via Page Six). Recently, Suri Cruise reportedly changed her name to Suri Noelle, hinting that the father-daughter relationship hasn’t been mended yet.
What do you think about the rumors surrounding Tom Cruise’s involvement in Katie Holmes’s The Dark Knight exit? Let us know in the comments below!
The Dark Knight and Mad Money are now available for streaming on HBO Max.
