Chances are, at one point in your life you’ve made what seems like a silly decision. After all, we’re all only human, but quitting one of the best Batman movies ever made to appear in a film, not many people remember. Well, that’s something that’s going to raise eyebrows. Still, that’s exactly what Katie Holmes did when she walked away from Christopher Nolan’s DCU trilogy.
Holmes, of course, appeared in the first of Nolan’s Batman movies, Batman Begins, but she was replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal in the sequel, The Dark Knight. Now The Dark Knight’s widely regarded as one of the best DC movies ever made (Editor: And one of the best movies of all time), so why did Holmes walk away?
Well, have you ever heard of a film called Mad Money? No, us neither, but this little-known comedy movie was what Holmes chose to do instead of The Dark Knight. Unfortunately for Holmes, Mad Money wasn’t quite as well received as The Dark Knight. It scored just 22% on Rotten Tomatoes and 44 on Metacritic. Audiences didn’t seem to like it either, and it ended up making a rather modest $26.4 million at the worldwide box office.
Still, Holmes isn’t bothered about missing out on appearing in one of the best superhero movies ever made. Speaking to MTV at the time, she said she enjoyed working with Nolan but that she was proud of Mad Money.
I’m excited to see [‘The Dark Knight’],” Holmes said. “I had a great experience working with Chris Nolan [and] I’m sure it’s going to be a great movie. [But] I chose to do this movie [‘Mad Money’], and I’m really proud of it.”
Good for her, and while we may not have heard of Mad Money, it makes sense why Holmes wanted to star in it. It’s directed by Callie Khouri, who wrote Thelma and Louise, and stars Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah on paper. It sounds like a great project.
Also, Mad Money does have fans. Fans like Louise Keller of the
Urban Cinefile wrote in their review, “A madcap heist movie with a delectable cast who realize that while money can’t buy happiness, it sure as hell can buy everything else.”
If you love The Dark Knight, check out our list of the best Batman actors. We’ve also got guides breaking down everything you need to know about The Batman 2 release date and The Brave and the Bold release date. If, like Katie, though, you’re looking for something a bit fresher, then you should read our list of all the new movies coming in 2023.