Finally, after months of speculation, and multiple actors passing on the role, Matt Reeves has found his Christopher Dent for “The Batman: Part II.”
This was the one crucial part left to be cast, with the likes of Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Stellan Skarsgård, Viggo Mortensen, and Daniel Craig all having reportedly been offered — and rumored to have passed on — the opportunity. It seemed like the role would go to an actor somewhere between the ages of 60 and 83.
Enter Charles Dance, 79, who is now in talks to portray Dent in Reeves’ anticipated sequel — it’ll be the biggest movie role of his career. Production is set to start in the spring, and the film will open in theaters on October 1, 2027.
Dance has delivered a series of commanding performances, most famously as the ruthless patriarch Tywin Lannister in “Game of Thrones.” He showed range as Benedict in “The Imitation Game,” and received praise for his work in David Fincher’s “Mank,” where he played the powerful media tycoon William Randolph Hearst.
Given the starry actors who had been offered the role of Christopher Dent, I suspect it will be a substantial part in “The Batman: Part II.” The same likely applies to Scarlett Johansson’s casting as Gilda Dent, and Sebastian Stan as her husband, Harvey.
“The Batman: Part II” is rumored to follow an uneasy alliance between Harvey Dent, Commissioner James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), and Batman/Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) as they work to dismantle a serial killer and the city’s entrenched criminal organizations.
Alongside Pattinson, Wright, and Stan, the confirmed cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Paul Dano, and likely Barry Keoghan. Filming is slated to begin May 29 in London.