The Batman Part II is looking to add another star to its roster. According to Deadline, Charles Dance is in talks to play Charles Dent, the father of Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, who will be played by Sebastian Stan.
In Batman lore, Harvey Dent eventually becomes the villain Two-Face. Harvey has been played by numerous actors in Batman movies over the years, including by Aaron Eckhart in 2008’s The Dark Knight and by Tommy Lee Jones in 1995’s Batman Forever. Harvey’s father, however, has never appeared in any live-action Batman movie, so The Batman Part II will break new ground with him.
In the comics, Harvey’s father is generally portrayed as an abusive alcoholic with mental health problems. On the page, his name is generally Christopher Dent, not Charles Dent, so it’s possible that writer-director Matt Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin are making some changes to the character.
Charles Dance Will Be Perfect as Yet Another Bad Dad
Dance has been acting for decades; he worked in TV in the 1970s and made his film debut as the minor villain Claus in the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. But these days he’s best known for appearing on Game of Thrones as Tywin Lannister, the shrewd, merciless patriarch of the Lannister family whose brusque, severe parenting style ends up warping his children. He also appeared as Victor Frankenstein’s demanding, oppressive father in Guillermo Del Toro’s 2025 movie Frankenstein. It’s not a stretch to say he’s made a specialty out of playing difficult parents, so Charles Dent should be an easy role for him, and not just because the character’s name is awfully similar to his own.
Deadline mentions that this report is unconfirmed and that any deal has yet to close, so it’s possible that this casting may not be borne out. The Batman Part II isn’t due out in theaters until October 1, 2027, so Reeves and Warner Bros. have some time yet to get their ducks in a row. Hopefully the deal goes through, because Charles Dance adds gravity to whatever he appears in.
Besides Dance and Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson will also be joining the cast. According to Deadline, she’ll be playing Harvey Dent’s wife, who is usually named Gilda Dent in the comics. With so many members of the Dent family being cast, it’s looking more and more like The Batman Part II will be driven by Harvey’s descent into villainy. Robert Pattinson, who will of course be returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman, will say only that it’s “a different type” of Batman movie.
Meanwhile, Andy Serkis will return as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred and Colin Farrell will be back as Oswald Cobb, aka the Penguin. Zoë Kravitz, however, will not return as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
