The Batman 2 Taps Charles Dance as Two-Face's Dad

Three Dents. That's how many members of Harvey Dent's family The Batman Part 2 is building out, and the latest addition might be the most inspired casting call yet. Deadline reported on Saturday that Charles Dance is in negotiations to join the sequel as Charles Dent, the father of Harvey Dent, better known to DC fans as Two-Face.

If that name rings a bell from a very different franchise, it should. Dance spent years terrifying audiences as Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones, a role that basically redefined what a ruthless screen patriarch looks like. His resume stretches back to the 1970s and includes Godzilla: King of the Monsters, The First Omen, and Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, but it's Tywin that makes this feel like such a natural fit. A cold, domineering father whose cruelty shapes his children into something broken? He's done that before, and he was the best part of every scene he was in.

The Dent Family Portrait

DC Studios is clearly investing heavily in the Dent family as a narrative pillar for this sequel. Sebastian Stan was announced for the film back in January and later confirmed as Harvey Dent. Scarlett Johansson, who joined the cast in December, is expected to play Harvey's wife. Now Dance rounds out the household as the patriarch. In the comics, Charles Dent (sometimes called Christopher Dent) is Harvey's abusive father, a character DC hasn't explored in much depth on screen. That gives Matt Reeves room to build something original, and I think handing that role to an actor who can convey menace with a dinner table conversation is exactly the right call.

The growing focus on Harvey's family life before his transformation into Two-Face suggests Reeves wants to earn that villain turn rather than rush it. Two-Face has appeared in Batman Forever and The Dark Knight, but neither film spent much time on what made Harvey crack beyond a single traumatic event. If The Batman Part 2 is using his father, his wife, and the full weight of his public life to set up that fall, it could give the character more room to breathe than he's ever had in live action.

Other returning cast members include Robert Pattinson as Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Barry Keoghan as the Joker. Pattinson recently called the film's script "extraordinary" and said it's "taking some big swings," adding that it will be "very, very different" from the first film.

The Batman Part 2 is set for a theatrical release on October 1, 2027, with Reeves returning as director and writer. DC Studios has not officially commented on Dance's involvement, and Deadline notes he is currently in negotiations rather than formally signed. Given the calibre of the ensemble Reeves is assembling, I'd be surprised if this one falls through.