In a neat piece of symmetry, it looks like the casting of the Dark Knight’s next adversary is coming down to the toss of a coin. Insider John Rocha revealed that casting has come down to a final pair of prospective stars to take on the role of Harvey Dent aka Two-Face in The Batman – Part II while chatting on The Hot Mic podcast with Jeff Sneider.
Ahead of a scheduled – writers’ strike permitting, of course – production start eyed for early 2024 at the Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios, the sequel – which will see Robert Pattinson become vengeance once more in Matt Reeves‘ sequel to last year’s megahit The Batman – is looking at the duo of Josh Hartnett and Joel Edgerton to fill the role.
The producers of the film are exploring casting one of Hartnett or Edgerton in the role of Gotham’s new district attorney. Gotham’s previous – very, very corrupt – district attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) was a victim of the sadistic Riddler (Paul Dano) in The Batman. Rocha notes that the role is to play that of Dent, but that he “may become Two-Face by the end of the film.”
Hi, Harvey
The character first appeared in Tim Burton‘s 1989 film Batman as portrayed by Billy Dee Williams. He was subsequently recast in 1995’s Batman Forever, being replaced by Tommy Lee Jones who joined forces on screen with Jim Carrey‘s Riddler. It would also lead to one of the finest anecdotes of all time, when Carrey revealed, during filming, he once approached Jones at a restaurant to say hello only for Jones to blow him off, simply stating that he “cannot sanction your buffoonery” to Carrey‘s delight and dismay.
However, it was Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight trilogy that catapulted Dent’s cinematic legacy to new heights. In 2008’s The Dark Knight actor Aaron Eckhart brilliantly depicted Harvey Dent’s transformation from Gotham City’s renowned District Attorney into the disfigured and vengeful Two-Face. The film showcased Dent’s struggle with duality, emphasizing his desire for justice and the consequential descent into madness after a tragic incident.
Eckhart‘s performance was both sympathetic and terrifying, as he brought Dent’s internal conflicts to life with intensity and emotional depth. The character’s death was blamed on Christian Bale‘s Batman, forcing him to abandon his post, while the legacy of Harvey Dent – as an heroic figure, to cover up what he had become – lived on as a beacon of hope for the people of Gotham. Big shoes to fill, for Hartnett or Edgerton.
The Batman – Part II is due to be released in October 2025.
via Collider