Aaron Paul Almost Joined a Batman Movie — Here’s Why He Passed
Aaron Paul almost joined Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight saga — and he explains why he passed. While promoting his new game Dispatch, the star recalls the offer and the choice that kept him out of Gotham.
Aaron Paul almost wandered into Christopher Nolan's Gotham, then scheduling told him no. It was a tiny part, but still: Nolan. Batman. The kind of one-scene cameo you tell your grandkids about. Here’s how it fell apart.
The near-miss
While chatting with ScreenRant to promote his new video game 'Dispatch', Paul said he was offered a blink-and-you-miss-it role in one of Nolan's Dark Knight movies. He actually remembered it mid-interview, then added that the meeting with Nolan might have originally been for another project he was cooking up at the time — he thinks it was 'Interstellar'.
Paul isn’t sure which Batman film the offer was for. If you connect the dots, it probably wasn’t 'Batman Begins' (2005) or 'The Dark Knight' (2008). Those hit before 'Breaking Bad' turned him into a household name, which makes it unlikely he’d get an offer for a bit part without auditioning. That leaves 'The Dark Knight Rises' in 2012 as the most likely candidate.
Why he passed
Simple: he was already on another job and couldn’t make the dates line up. He stressed it was a tiny role — tiny, tiny — and he didn’t care about the size; he just wanted in. The whole thing bubbled back up because he recently rewatched 'The Dark Knight' and realized what almost was.
"It would have just been so cool to just be in 30 seconds of one of those movies."
He didn’t say which character it would have been, and at this point it’s lost to time and NDAs.
Could he still pop up in a Bat-movie?
Maybe. Matt Reeves' 'The Batman Part II' is slated to start filming in 2026, and Paul made it clear he’s a fan. Batman is his favorite because, as he puts it, the guy’s basically human — just extremely rich, extremely geared up, and not playing around. He’s into Superman too, and generally loves this whole comic-book sandbox because the possibilities are endless.
Quick timeline
- 'Batman Begins' (2005) and 'The Dark Knight' (2008) hit before Paul was widely famous.
- 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012) is the most likely film he was offered, based on timing.
- Paul passed due to a schedule conflict, not lack of interest.
- He was speaking while promoting 'Dispatch', his new game rolling out on PS5 and Windows weekly from October 22, 2025 through November 12, 2025.
- Reeves' 'The Batman Part II' is aiming to start filming in 2026, so the door’s not closed on a future Gotham cameo.
Not going to lie: if Nolan calls, I take the 30 seconds. But if you’re head-down on a shoot, you’re head-down on a shoot. Hollywood timing stays undefeated.