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[Rue]

It should have been Gylenhaal from the beginning.

I wish it was, I honestly can't stand Katie Holmes in anything. I love Begins but she is easily the worst part of the whole film.

 

[neoism]

Wouldn't make a difference to me either way. That character just makes me go "eh".

it would have for me.. i wasnt sad at all that maggies rachel died... i would have if it was katie... it alwalys sucks when they change actors for sequals

 

[MattyG]

I didn't care about the character one way or another, but I would've prefered if there had been some consistency.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

The recast didn't really bother me when I was watching it, and I thought Maggie Gyllenhaal did a great job on a role that unfortunately didn't shine much in the series. For continuity's sake, sticking Katie Holmes would've been better, but ultimately Maggie Gyllenhaal should've just been Rachel from the start.

Maybe Nolan would've written the role better knowing Maggie's resume and her abilities. No offense to Katie Holmes, of course.

I don't think Nolan is particularly known for writing interesting female characters, to say the least, and it took until to the third batman film before we got something decent. (Catwoman, not the poorly handled death sequence character)

 

[Acorn]

It doesn't really matter, it's not like The Dark Knight did anything for Maggie's career, nor Batman Begins for Katie. I can understand going with something she may have felt was more interesting(or fun) for her to do as an actress, but I can't imagine she gets many interesting opportunities, so settling for that shit it is.

Didn't do anything for Maggie because she was an established actor and the role was way below what she's capable of. For Holmes? Perfect level for her and gets her face out there in a big film.

 

[highrider]

No, Maggie Gyllenhaal was the better actress.

No question, but I think Bruce Wayne needs more of a knockout beauty, whereas Maggie is attractive, but not over the top good looking. Katie Holmes was annoying in that role.

 

[Maengun1]

I don't have any strong opinion about Holmes vs. Gyllenhaal as far as performance (Rachel's kind of a blank character anyway IMO), but I reaaaaally hate re-casting period. I can run with most things as far as suspension of disbelief, but recasts in any movie/tv show just drive me crazy every time I see the new person. So I'd rather Holmes had just stayed on.

 

[DOWN]

Wasn't a great character for me so I'd have taken the consistency. Holmes coming back and failing to move me would be better than Maggie taking over and doing about the same for me.

Re-casting sucks.

 

[Poimandres]

Holmes was simply retched in Begins, Maggie worked well with what she had and fit with the tone of the movie better. Definite upgrade.

 

[way more]

Gyllenhaal is a better actor but a hard-ass, DA "B" she is not. You need to at least have dark hair to play that.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Didn't do anything for Maggie because she was an established actor and the role was way below what she's capable of. For Holmes? Perfect level for her and gets her face out there in a big film.

She was an established actress in the indie scene, and being in one of the biggest films ever didn't do a damn thing for her in any capacity. Holmes was far more well known before Batman, and definitely after Batman, particularly when she married into crazy. She still gets parts, but it was never gonna be very interesting for her.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

The line: "and... you ARE beautiful"

Would've been a lot more believable with Katie. Katie is far better looking.

 

[120v]

Katie Holmes was god awful in BB... but in her defense the character was sort of poorly written to begin with. It was pretty obvious right away she was just being set up to be killed off later

 

[FairyD]

I would have preferred Holmes in it. I felt like Maggie gave a less than stellar performance.

 

[……forgetit]

I didn't even notice it was a different actress......

 

[ShockingAlberto]

You know what I never understood in The Dark Knight?

At Bruce Wayne's party, Joker crashes to get to Dent. Wayne shoves Dent out a back door and then rescues Rachel when Joker is dangling her off the edge, then the scene just ends.

Did Joker just leave? How did he know Dent wasn't there at a party that was throw in his honor? He didn't know there was a secret back door.

 

[Afrocious]

I don't think it would've mattered.

 

[Aselith]

Chris Nolan doesn't really do good roles for women so it really doesn't matter.

 

[jett]

You know what I never understood in The Dark Knight?

At Bruce Wayne's party, Joker crashes to get to Dent. Wayne shoves Dent out a back door and then rescues Rachel when Joker is dangling her off the edge, then the scene just ends.

Did Joker just leave? How did he know Dent wasn't there at a party that was throw in his honor? He didn't know there was a secret back door.

Joker went back to his home planet.

Then came back.

And then left again just before TDKR started.

 

[Elwood Blues]

In Batman Begins, would it have been better if Maggie Gyllenhaal started out as Rachel?

 

[jph139]

I honestly didn't even notice the switch first time I watched (wasn't really following closely). Super forgettable character so, yeah, I'd say it didn't really matter either way.

 

[inm8num2]

Holmes was okay in the role and had good chemistry with Bale, but Maggie's a much better actress.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Gyllenhaal was far better in the role. Holmes felt like an 18 year old playing dress-up, going "I'm an adult! I'm a serious lawyer! Look how serious I am!" She couldn't be authoritative for the life of her, let alone come off as a lawyer taking on the mob.

 

[karasu]

She is the most infuriating character in years. Then she was reborn in Robin.

 

[Fatalah]

Katie Holmes' absence was the least of this movie's problems.

Katie did a fine job with the role. She did nothing to hurt it. Would have rather she stayed on, for continuity's sake.

 

[BlazinAm]

I didn't even notice it was a different actress......

They have the same forehead so I could understand that.

 

[MMarston]

Did Joker just leave? How did he know Dent wasn't there at a party that was throw in his honor? He didn't know there was a secret back door.

There's a deleted scene where he does exactly that and leaves by van.

This would be a still from it I think

 

[Dalthien]

The character wasn't fleshed out at all --- but even so, Maggie all the way.

 

[Vestal]

Any female role in a Batman movie has to live up to Michele Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. She was just too good of a female lead in a Batman film for anyone to come even close.

 

[PhantomZone]

By the way, why did Katie not return to Batman? I kept hearing rumors it was because of Tom Cruise and Scientology, any of that true?

I heard it was because of that BUT also the role was tiny in comparison to Begins - she was going to be killed off way earlier in an older draft.

 

[old manatee]

It's an underwritten part no matter you cast.

 

[Verger]

Any female role in a Batman movie has to live up to Michele Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. She was just too good of a female lead in a Batman film for anyone to come even close.

That is true, Pfeiffer's performance has yet to be approached by anyone, and Anne Hathaway didn't even come close (though certainly much better than Halle Berry's attempt)

I heard it was because of that BUT also the role was tiny in comparison to Begins - she was going to be killed off way earlier in an older draft.

Ah, definitely didn't know that. I suppose that combined with the fact that she really wanted to work on Mad Money supposedly would have swayed her.

 

[HotHamWater]

Bro, Katie had that nipple game on point though if you get me man.

 

[sirap]

Bro, Katie had that nipple game on point though if you get me man.

My man, those headlights.

 

[Klotera]

My problem is that I don't feel like Gyllenhaal even played the same character. No attempt was made to maintain the mannerisms of the character from the original. It also felt like she was terribly over-acting. Holmes may have had the opposite problem, but I'd take that over Gyllenhaal's performance.

 

[Bishop89]

could have replaced her with a potato and it would have made no difference to that character in that nolanverse

 

[jey_16]

Holmes was gorgeous in Begins though compared to Maggie

 

[Nuke Soda]

Bad character, doubt anybody could have saved Rachel, except maybe Nicolas Cage of course.

 

[TalkingToast]

Really confused me when I was a kid, first seeing both movies in theatres. I'm surprised to see so many people in favour of Maggie, at the time I remember thinking it was a shame they didn't just write in a different character or something, the switch was so jarring for me.

 

[crazy monkey]

Holmes was gorgeous in Begins though compared to Maggie

she is more beautiful than maggie for sure.

 

[Mad Season]

Katie cannot act

 

[Ganzlinger]

Yes, it was a jarring change and it would have had more impact on me if Holmes was still in the role

This.

I agree with OP.

 

[GSG Flash]

I just wish there was continuity (so either Katie or Maggie playing Rachel in both BB and TDK).

 

[SolidChamp]

Honestly, neither of them put on all that great of a performance. It was just a shit role to begin with.

Agreed. But for some reason, I liked Holmes in the role better.

 

[Japanmanx3]

Anyone would have been better than Maggie Gylenhal smh...

 

[diggmcbadass]

Neither of them were Bane, so I did not care.

 

[Juice]

I don't care who plays it because it was a pretty garbage role, but I think I watched TDK twice before learning it was the same character.

Honestly didn't believe a major movie like that would have a continuity fail like that without telegraphing it to the audience loudly.

 

[stuminus3]

None of this is nearly as important as the question of whether or not it would have been better if Billy Dee Williams was brought back as Harvey Dent in the original movie series. Now that was a break in continuity if ever there was one.

 

[Delta Assault]

Yes. Katie Holmes is bad, but it would've been consistent, and the girl was getting blown up halfway through the movie anyways.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is not the actress you get to portray a love interest that a dashing District Attorney and a Billionaire fight over.

 

[mreddie]

Wasn't the whole recasting why she got killed off anyways?