The Christopher Nolan trilogy of Batman films has for some time now been regarded as the best big screen outing the superhero has ever seen. Across three films, he battled a varied roster of DC Comics' finest villains including Scarecrow, the Joker and Bane, whilst dealing with his own demons and the injustice that the world flung upon him, simply for wanting to save the world from destruction.

Josh Hartnett rejected one of the biggest roles in HollywoodJosh Hartnett rejected one of the biggest roles in Hollywood

Christian Bale was the man who led the films as an often battered Bruce Wayne, but one that would stop at nothing to bring justice around for the citizens of Gotham City. If Nolan's first choice for the trilogy had said yes to the offer of playing Batman however, we could have had some very different films.

Josh Hartnett was that first choice; a man who said no to one of the biggest roles in Hollywood. But does he regret his decision?

"I would welcome the opportunity to be in a relationship with a great artist in our film culture, no matter where they're making films," the actor said in a chat with AP, in reference to his rejection of working with Christopher Nolan on his trilogy of 'Batman' films.

"In that instance, I think my regret mostly was not forming the friendship or the creative partnership with that director [Nolan], more than it was [not] doing Batman."

Despite rejecting Batman, Hartnett has continued successDespite rejecting Batman, Hartnett has continued success

Prompted further about his citing of scheduling conflict playing a role in his rejection of taking on the Caped Crusader, the actor added: "It wasn't about not doing studio films. At the the time, what I was interested in was... The film that I did instead of that was a tiny film about a guy with Asperger's Syndrome, falling in love with a woman with Asperger's Syndrome. It was a true story, 'Mozart and The Whale'. It was more a question of what I wanted to do as opposed to what I didn't want to do, and I always try to look at things that way."

The actor also went on to reveal that this wasn't the first time he had said no to playing a superhero, having been offered roles as both Superman and Spider-Man in the past, though he didn't elaborate any further on why those offers fell through, or why he rejected them.

It's fair to say that despite not being a part of Nolan's trilogy, Hartnett has enjoyed the spotlight recently, mostly through his leading role in the now-cancelled 'Penny Dreadful'.

With a series of different projects all now in the pipeline, his rejection of the World's Greatest Detective clearly hasn't hampered his ability to pick up new and exciting roles.

Ben Affleck now stars as a grizzled Bruce Wayne, pictured here in 'Justice League'Ben Affleck now stars as a grizzled Bruce Wayne, pictured here in 'Justice League'

Now with Bale out of the picture and Nolan completing work on his trilogy back in 2012 with 'The Dark Knight Rises', Ben Affleck is the actor stepping up to the plate to take on the role of Batman. So far he's done a great job in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', and he'll be returning to the big screen later this year as part of 'Justice League'.

The DC Extended Universe may not be the biggest critical success, aside from 'Wonder Woman' which picked up amazing reviews following its release, but it's still certainly a money-maker for Warner Bros., and one we should expect Affleck to be a part of for some time to come.

More: Zack Snyder Cedes 'Justice League' Following His Daughter's Death

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