Everything we thought we knew about The Batman: Part II was just turned upside down. For several months, it had been expected – but never officially confirmed – that Sebastian Stan would be playing Harvey Dent in the sequel movie, with it also believed that it would include his villainous transformation into Two-Face. That fit neatly with the other character rumors, namely that Scarlett Johansson would be playing his wife, Gilda, and Charles Dance his father, Christopher.
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However, the latest reports have flipped things, with it now being claimed that Stan will play the villain Victor Zsasz instead. The serial killer, who carves a tally of his victims into his own skin, was very briefly seen in Batman Begins, and had a supporting role in Birds of Prey, but this would mark his first outing as a major villain in a Batman movie.
On top of that, it’s said Johansson and Charles Dance aren’t playing specific DC characters, but amalgamations, and, even more notably, that it’ll be Brian Tyree Henry who is actually Harvey Dent. The last part is an unexpected choice, especially given how perfect a fit Stan had seemed for the Gotham District Attorney, but that’s also why it should work.
Batman Movies Have A Successful History Of Unexpected Castings
Henry is not a conventional choice for Harvey Dent, and not just because he’s a Black man (something that did not matter when Billy Dee Williams played the character in Tim Burton’s Batman, and should not matter now). He has a different stature to how Dent is typically portrayed, and his most famous role, Atlanta, doesn’t automatically align with the role. Stan, on the other hand, much more the archetype in terms of how people think the character should look. And yet, if you go through Batman movie history, it has always thrived on unconventional castings (and often ones that suffered a bit of a backlash).
Michael Keaton was a divisive choice for Bruce Wayne in Burton’s 1989 movie. At the time, Keaton was best known for comedic, often slapstick roles, coming off of hits like Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice. Tens of thousands of letters of protest were sent to Warner Bros., and even the character’s co-creator, Bob Kane, questioned the casting. And how did that work out? Keaton proved himself perfect for the role, and I don’t think anyone has better captured the duality between Bruce and Batman like he did.
Then there was Heath Ledger as the Joker. Again, he was not remotely an obvious choice, and there was again backlash. Ledger was better known for things like romantic comedies and dramas, and yet he delivered one of the most transformative, twisted villain performances of all time, immersing himself in the role as an agent of chaos. He redefined the standard for playing the Clown Prince of Crime, which still hasn’t been topped, and might never be.
Fast forwarding to The Batman itself, and it wasn’t that long ago Robert Pattinson’s casting was being questioned as well. This was a different scenario, because it wasn’t due to his recent roles, but that he was still best known for starring in Twilight. Even setting aside that those movies are fun, the actor spent the decade after taking on a variety of fascinating, challenging roles in indie movies, establishing himself as one of the most interesting, versatile actors around. And so it’s no surprise that he was fantastic as Batman.
Brian Tyree Henry Could Be A Great Harvey Dent (& So Would Sebastian Stan)
Aside from the bad faith takes around the potential of Henry playing Harvey Dent/Two-Face, there is plenty of consternation around his suitability for the role because it’s not the kind of thing he’s done before, which… sort of overlooks the fact that he is an incredibly talented actor in his own right and there’s no real reason to doubt he can do this. A key part of Dent’s appeal is that he’s charismatic, and so believable as Gotham’s new savior who is beloved by the people. Henry is insanely charismatic, so making a likable Dent would not be a problem, nor would him portraying the idealistic, moralistic side of the character pre-transformation.
In terms of Two-Face, a couple of Henry’s roles stand out. In If Beale Street Could Talk, he gives an emotional turn as a man psychologically scarred by his time in prison; in Widows, he plays a gangster-turned-politician who wears different “faces,” and in parts of that movie is extremely menacing. He has a lot of the right ingredients to make for a great take on the character, and one who could both honor the comics while doing something fresh and unique, given we’ve already had two previous live-action movie portrayals.
That’s not to say Stan wouldn’t be great as well. He very obviously would, he has everything you’d want for the character, but sometimes the less obvious path can bring more interesting results, which could be the case with Henry. Similarly, Stan as Zsasz is a very compelling idea, and he has it in him to go to that dark, psychopathic level where he fully disappears into the character.
Whatever the truth is – because, of course, none of this is confirmed, and it might well be that Stan is Dent and Henry, say, is Harvey Bullock, which, yeah, also superb! – what’s also worth remembering is that Matt Reeves has more than earned trust in whatever he’s doing, and that The Batman 2‘s cast is absolutely stacked and very, very exciting.
The Batman: Part II will be released in theaters on October 1st, 2027.
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