Cillian Murphy auditioned for Batman

Could the Scarecrow have been a better Batman than Batman?

Following the emergence of the audition video featuring Christian Bale donning Val Kilmer's Batman suit (opposite Amy Adams), there's now some further food for thought.

[Christian Bale's Batman audition released]

Cillian Murphy, it appears, also auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne.

And appearing here in the Batsuit, one gets the feeling he might have been great in the role, had he stacked on a bit of additional bulk. We saw the pics on Batman News.

The pictures, as with the Bale audition video, have emerged thanks to the forthcoming release of Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition' DVD and Blu-ray. Sadly there's no video so far.

[Nolan landed Batman Begins in 15 minutes]

It's said that while Nolan liked Murphy's take on Batman, he believed the Irish actor a better fit for Dr Jonathan Crane, the psychiatrist who becomes the maniacal Scarecrow.

Pictures of Anne Hathaway's first audition have also been released that show a "slightly wilder-looking Selina Kyle". See the rest here.

The video of Murphy's audition also appears on the release, due out on October 7.

Watch Christian Bale's first Batman audition - complete with Val Kilmer suit - below.