With The Batman Part II set to begin production this Spring, the sequel’s cast has quickly taken shape. So far, it looks like the main focus will be on the Dent family, with Thunderbolts* star Sebastian Stan playing Harvey Dent and Avengers: Endgame’s Scarlett Johansson eyed to portray his wife, Gilda.
The last major role to cast is reportedly Christopher Dent, Harvey’s father. It’s unclear what that character will bring to the table, but after Brad Pitt, Stellan Skarsgaard, and Daniel Craig supposedly passed on the role, The Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen’s name has been thrown around in recent days.
While we’d suggest taking this with a pinch of salt, scooper Jeff Sneider has claimed that screen icon Robert De Niro was offered the role and passed. The Goodfellas star previously played Murray Franklin in Joker, so it’s not like he’s anti-comic book movie. Perhaps this character just wasn’t interesting to him.
For what it’s worth, The Batman Part II writer Mattson Tomlin shared a vague X post shortly after Sneider’s, writing, “lolololololol.”
It’s looking increasingly likely that Two-Face will be The Batman sequel’s big bad. However, many fans have theorised that Johansson’s character—potentially a mashup of Holiday and Phantas—is the movie’s real villain.
Harvey was played by Aaron Eckhart in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Before that, Tommy Lee Jones put a wacky spin on Two-Face in 1995’s Batman Forever.
In 2024, Stan was asked about the possibility of starring in a Batman movie. “I don’t know if Batman’s for me, but never say never,” he said. “I don’t know. There’s so many characters — I told you, I always had a soft spot for that Riddler, but that one’s been done.”
In 2016, the Avengers: Doomsday star made a point of praising Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. “I did see Batman v Superman, and I enjoyed it,” Stan shared. “I think visually it was insane. I thought Ben Affleck was an incredible Batman. I thought that fight sequence he had against all the guys, that was sick. Even Jesse Eisenberg was cracking me up at some points. That’s all I got.”
Directed by Matt Reeves from a script by him and Mattson Tomlin, The Batman Part II stars Robert Pattinson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, and Jeffrey Wright.
The Batman Part II is set to be released in theaters on October 1, 2027.
Serious post: Shortly after I published this tweet, someone reached out to say that De Niro was, in fact, offered the role… and passed. Drats! https://t.co/IcvhvWCyr9
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) March 18, 2026
lolololololol
— mattson tomlin (@mattsontomlin) March 18, 2026