Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II is finally nearing the start of filming and, with that, the cast is reportedly being filled out. Over the past few months, it’s been reported that Scarlett Johansson is headed to Gotham City and that fellow Marvel veteran Sebastian Stan is playing Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face) as well. Now, it would seem Reeves has cast a seasoned Game of Thrones star to take on a key role. Aside from the star himself, what really tickles me here is that the character is so on brand for them.
The one-and-only Charles Dance is reportedly joining the long-awaited sequel to The Batman, according to Deadline. Neither DC Studios nor Warner Bros. have commented on the matter as of this writing. The trade did, however, report that Dance would be taking on the role of Charles Dent, the father of the previously mentioned Harvey. It goes without saying that Dance is a film, TV and stage legend, and he now takes on a role that Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt allegedly passed on. Still, I’m glad Dance now has it.
What I find so humorously ironic about this reported casting, though, is that the character represents a “bad dad” role, which Dance is more than familiar with. Game of Thrones fans surely know Dance portrays the despicable Tywin Lannister between the first and fifth seasons of the acclaimed HBO series. The head of The House Lannister, Tywin is particularly vile towards his youngest son, Tyrion, due to his dwarfism and the fact that his wife died while giving birth to him.
Lannister isn’t the only “bad dad” character Dance has played as of late either. He also portrays the stringent and distant father of the titular character in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. The character of Baron Leopold Frankenstein isn’t as vicious as Tywin, but he does put an incredible amount of pressure on his son, Victor, and doesn’t hide how he favors his younger brother, William. So, needless to say, Dance has a solid amount of experience playing less-than-perfect parental figures.
Harvey Dent’s father is known as Christopher in the comics, and he’s depicted as an alcoholic who also struggles with mental illness. All of that would manifest into abuse that Christopher would inflict upon young Harvey. While the younger Dent eventually becomes a successful attorney, he also deals with psychological issues as an adult. That psyche breaks down entirely after Harvey is disfigured and becomes the mob boss Two-Face. We can only speculate as to how the older Dent might figure into Reeves’ universe, but I’d love to see even a portion of that sordid family history play into Part II.
Unsurprisingly, details on The Batman: Part II have been kept tightly under wraps. So far, Matt Reeves and co. have only teased what they have in mind for the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2022 movie. Lead actor Robert Pattinson also drummed up some excitement recently, though, when he teased that the movie would take some “big swings.”
I’m hoping one of those swings is a strong examination of Harvey Dent’s duality and backstory. On that note, Dance is a firm addition to the cast, and I’m hoping Matt Reeves utilizes him to firm effect. I mean, if you have one of the premier “bad dad” actors to play a bad dad, why not give him a truly meaty role?
Check out The Batman: Part II when it opens in theaters on October 1, 2027. In the meantime, stream the original film with an HBO Max subscription, and, with that same membership, check out Charles Dance’s work on Game of Thrones.
