The rumor mill around The Batman Part II just took a sharp turn. According to entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider, Sebastian Stan may not be playing Harvey Dent in Matt Reeves’ upcoming sequel after all. Instead, Sneider reports that multiple sources have told him Stan is playing Batman villain Victor Zsasz.
This makes sense.
Sneider, who previously reported that the sequel would involve the Dent family, now says he believes that earlier information was incorrect. In a new report, he writes that a source initially told him newcomers Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, and Charles Dance were not playing the characters many fans had assumed. A second source later told him Stan’s actual role, and Sneider says that information was subsequently backed up by his earlier source and a third source.
The new claim: Stan is playing Zsasz, a serial killer from Batman lore who carves tally marks into his body for each victim.
The rumor would track with earlier talk that The Batman Part II may lean into another murder mystery or serial-killer story. Reeves has also previously teased that the sequel’s villain has “never really been done in a movie before.” Zsasz has appeared briefly in live-action films, including Batman Begins and Birds of Prey, and had a larger role on the Fox series Gotham, but he has never been the central villain of a Batman movie.
Sneider also points to Stan’s current physical appearance — including a shaved head and bulked-up build — as aligning more closely with Zsasz than with Harvey Dent.
If Stan is not playing Dent, Sneider reports that the role of Harvey Dent may instead belong to Brian Tyree Henry. Should that prove true, Henry would become the latest actor to portray the future Two-Face in live action, following performers including Billy Dee Williams, who played Dent in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman.
The report also suggests that the Court of Owls is involved in the sequel. In the comics, the Court is a secret society composed of Gotham’s oldest and wealthiest families, operating in the shadows and enforcing its will through assassins known as Talons.
Sneider did not reveal the reported roles of Scarlett Johansson and Charles Dance, though he writes that his sources described them as not necessarily playing major, name-brand Batman characters, but possibly characters that combine elements from different figures in the mythology.
The report describes the sequel’s script as featuring “weird and interesting takes,” with one source reportedly saying the use of Zsasz fits with the idea that the film is taking a wild turn.
Matt Reeves is directing The Batman Part II from a script he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin. Dylan Clark is producing alongside DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Robert Pattinson is returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright and Jayme Lawson also expected back. Barry Keoghan is also expected to reprise his role as the Joker, while Sebastian Koch is among the franchise newcomers.
Farrell has previously indicated that his role as Oz Cobb, also known as the Penguin, will be limited in the sequel. Sneider also reports that DC and HBO are not moving forward with a second season of The Penguin, meaning the series will remain limited.
Warner Bros. is currently set to release The Batman Part II on Oct. 1, 2027.
For now, the Victor Zsasz and Harvey Dent casting details remain unconfirmed by Warner Bros., DC Studios, Reeves or the actors involved. But if Sneider’s reporting proves accurate, The Batman Part II may be taking fans into a darker, stranger corner of Gotham than expected.
Who do you think Sebastian Stan is playing?
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
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