The Batman 2 just cast Brian Tyree Henry as an iconic DC villain

Well, here we go again — it looks like we've got a bit of an unexpected twist in the world of Gotham, and frankly, I didn't see this one coming. The latest bit of casting news for The Batman Part II is out, and it’s the sort of rumour that gets eyebrows raised and comic book forums buzzing.

Brian Tyree Henry Steps Into Harvey Dent’s Shoes

According to Jeff Sneider — who tends to be on the money with this sort of thing — Brian Tyree Henry is apparently set to play Harvey Dent in The Batman 2. If you're not up on your Batman lore, that's the bloke who eventually turns into Two-Face, one of the more memorable (and genuinely unsettling) villains in the DC line-up.

Now, for ages, the rumour mill had Sebastian Stan pegged for the role of Harvey Dent. But turns out, that's not the case at all. Instead, it's Brian Tyree Henry, whose CV, by the way, isn’t exactly short on superhero fare. Just to jog your memory, he played Phastos in Marvel’s Eternals, and he voiced Jefferson Morales in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Bit of a genre regular at this point.

Sneider put it this way:

'I’m told that Brian Tyree Henry will be playing Harvey Dent. He won’t be the first Black actor to take on Dent in live-action, since Billy Dee Williams did it in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman.'

Worth noting: As good as Sneider’s track record is, none of this is official until the studio comes out with the press release. So, as always, healthy scepticism advised.

But Wait, What About Sebastian Stan?

Here’s where things get a bit twisty. Even though Stan was widely linked to Harvey Dent, Sneider reckons Stan is actually down to play Victor Zsasz — another DC villain, but a distinctly different one. Zsasz, for those who haven’t done their homework, is a serial killer who tallies up his victims by carving marks into his own skin. Cheery chap.

• First appeared in 1992’s Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1
• Tim Booth played him in Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005)
• Anthony Carrigan took a swing at the role on TV’s Gotham
• Chris Messina brought him to the big screen again in Birds of Prey (2020)

So, not a total unknown in the live-action world, but still, a bit left-field for Stan if it pans out.

The Big Date…and the Bat Himself

Oh, and if you’re pencilling in cinema trips, The Batman Part II — with Robert Pattinson moody as ever in the cape and cowl — is now set for cinematic release on 1 October 2027. Yes, you read that right: 2027. We all might look a bit different by then.