Even though Cillian Murphy starred and succeeded in 28 Days Later, it didn't really shoot him into that "mainstream success" that actors often crave. What 28 Days Later did do for him was open up unique doors, with unique roles. His performance in 2002 allowed him to score the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, where he appears in all three films: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises. He was one of only a few cast members to show up in all three movies, which is pretty impressive, and important, considering that he was fairly new to Hollywood.
Murphy was also auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne himself. In an interview with Seth Meyers, he mentioned that he tried out for the main role in Nolan's film and even got to try on the Batman suit Val Kilmer used in Batman Forever. Even though he got to try on the iconic suit, he mentioned, "I never for a moment thought I was [Batman] material. It was obvious that Christian Bale was gonna be Batman." Ultimately, he landed exactly where he was supposed to with the role of Dr. Crane.
