Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight could find himself up against Two-Face in Matt Reeves' The Batman, but who should portray the iconic DC villain? The Batman is scheduled for release in 2021, but so far Pattinson is the only name confirmed. However, it's believed that it'll feature a number of characters from Batman's rogues gallery, with Harvey Dent among those likely to appear.

In the comics, Harvey Dent starts off as Gotham's District Attorney, a seemingly good, genuine man who wants to help the city and works alongside Batman and Commissioner Gordon. That all changes, however, when a mobster throws acid in his face, leaving one half of it badly burned and disfigured. That pushed him into insanity, where he became obsessed with chance and leaving every decision to the flip of a coin. That duality between good and bad makes him a more interesting but also trickier character to play.

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Two-Face has already made two live-action appearances, although they were very different: there was Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever, who fit with Joel Schumacher's camp, more comical approach to the franchise, and then Aaron Eckhart's more grounded take in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Both were memorable, so if Reeves' The Batman is looking to fill that role, then it needs an actor capable of playing both sides of the coin. Rather than leave it up to fate, he should choose one of these for the part.

Jon Hamm

What is Mad Men's Don Draper - Jon Hamm's most famous and best role - if not a character defined by his duality? He is the effortlessly charming ad-man, but he's also harboring some dark secrets and internal conflict. Hamm perfectly portrays the two sides to Draper, and it's a talent he displayed again in Edgar Wright's Baby Driver, starting off as a good guy before flipping a switch and becoming an unhinged villain later in the movie. It's the kind of arc that lends itself easily to the character of Two-Face, who conceals his turmoil until his disfigurement.

Hamm was frequently touted for the role of Batman, but with Reeves deciding to skew younger in the form of Pattinson's Bruce Wayne in The Batman, it doesn't have to mean Hamm is out completely. He'd be able to portray the good guy D.A. role in his sleep, but be a convincing villain too. He's a fair bit older than Pattinson, but that means you could start with him as an already established Two-Face in this world, but just as equally show the development across at least one movie, if not two or three.

Javier Bardem

Raoul Silva Skyfall - Dangerous James Bond Villains

Javier Bardem has already played Two-Face (sort of), and it won him an Oscar. That suggests he could more than do the part justice in Reeves' The Batman. His incredible turn as Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men saw him scoop the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and it also saw him playing a powerful villain who is remorseless, but also directed by fate. He flips coins to make decisions on whether he kills people or not, and is completely chilling about it.

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That makes him a proven fit for Two-Face. To take that sort of performance, and square it off against Pattinson's much younger Batman, would make for one hell of a rivalry. It wouldn't just be a repeat either: Bardem's Skyfall villain also had echoes of Two-Face, but he was more maniacal. In The Batman, Bardem could essentially do something that combines the best of Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart's take on the characters, making a truly terrifying, despicable monster who is simultaneously understandable and realistic, and yet also larger than life. That's the beauty of Two-Face: he can be two things at once, and Bardem is able to nail that.

Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya crying as Chris Washington in Get Out.

Daniel Kaluuya has seen his star rise astronomically in recent years, largely thanks to his lead role in 2017's Get Out, for which he scored an Academy Award nomination. His role in Jordan Peele's horror, alongside performances in TV shows like Skins and Black Mirror, showcase just how likable Kaluuya can be. He's funny and cool, he can charm you, and he could definitely convince as the bright young hope for Gotham City as Harvey Dent in The Batman.

But where it gets really interesting is in Kaluuya's ability to dial things up to 11, as seen in Widows last year (a performance that was unfairly overlooked at the Oscars). There, Kaluuya is thrilling; he's a ball of pure intensity that's ready to burst at any moment. It's a mesmerizing yet horrifying display, and makes him an exciting choice for The Batman. Across multiple movies, we could see how he goes from being the optimistic Harvey Dent who people believe in, to a warped villain hell-bent on revenge. Kaluuya is a similar age to Pattinson, so there's an opportunity to start with them as equals and then see how their paths diverge in different directions - like two sides of the same coin.

Ryan Gosling

 

 

Ryan Gosling Drive

Ryan Gosling's been linked with the Dark Knight, but he has everything you need to play Harvey Dent in The Batman: he's cool, charismatic, handsome, believably good and noble, he can portray an American hero (see his subtle yet emotional turn in First Man), and works as an everyman that the citizens of Gotham could identify with and root for. That makes him a great pick for Harvey, but what about Two-Face?

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Again, this wouldn't just be a casting for The Batman, but with an entire trilogy of movies in mind, allowing Gosling to develop across time, with his Harvey starting out as friends with Pattinson's Batman, before transforming that relationship. And with that, he could do something fascinating with the villain. There's a compelling, slightly ineffable otherness to Gosling that would allow him to convince as a man of such contrasting sides as Dent/Two-Face, because he often gives the sense that while he's good, you don't quite know what he might be hiding or be capable of. His performance in Drive showed just how he can turn on a dime and explode outwards, and with Reeves directing him it'd be great to see that side of his acting ability channeled into a Batman villain who hides his darkness until it's burned onto his face.

Justin Theroux

Justin Theroux is the oldest actor on this list, but there's no denying he has the tools to pull off being Harvey Dent and Two-Face. As the star of The Leftovers, one of the very best TV shows of (at least) the decade, Theroux displayed great range as he moved through the stages of grief. We got to see him angry and volatile, as vulnerable and devastated, but also as a pillar of strength and reliability. He's cool and looks great in a suit, but, like in Maniac or his work with David Lynch, he's also unafraid to mix it up and get weird.

Theroux hasn't had a main blockbuster role yet, but his work on The Leftovers (and elsewhere) means he deserves a shot. Taking on Dent as a figure of tragedy, then Theroux could not only nail the more obsessive and outlandish aspects of the character and convince as an older head for Pattinson's Caped Crusader to go up against in The Batman, but also bring real pathos to the role as well.

Lakeith Stanfield

Lakeith Stanfield as Ed Needham in The Girl in the Spiders Web

One of the many actors to break out in Short Term 12, Lakeith Stanfield's filmography over the last few years is enough to rival anybody else on this list, even if he isn't quite a household name just yet. His range of roles contains plenty that point to him being a great Harvey Dent, and an exciting take on Two-Face as well. Through the likes of Selma, Straight Outta Compton, and Sorry To Bother You, Stanfield has shone whether he's a supporting player or leading man. His creepy, haunting performance as Logan in Get Out gives an idea of how he can suddenly captivate an audience without much screentime, but it's in TV series Atlanta where we often see the very best of him.

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Atlanta is a show of dualities: there's a side of it that's very realistic, and another that feels like a dream. Stanfield himself captures this wonderfully; he's a weirdo, and yet also super cool. He's a wise head, and a conspiracy theorist. He's chilled out, but ready to flip. That's what he'd bring to The Batman: the charismatic Harvey Dent, and the insane Two-Face. As a Dent for the long-haul, Stanfield could really make the role his own and make both sides equally compelling, while providing a nice contrast to Pattinson's Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Oscar Isaac

 

Since catching the eye in 2011's Drive, Oscar Isaac has carved out a reputation as one of the very best actors in Hollywood today, and also one of its most versatile. In Drive, he manages to make his ex-con character a blend of tough and sympathetic; for Inside Llewyn Davis, he's a lost soul, with just enough charm but a turmoil and darkness within him too. In Ex Machina, he goes from appearing nice to someone who is obsessive and dangerous. For HBO miniseries Show Me A Hero, he portrayed a public figure striving for better who ultimately falls, which in Isaac's hands became a heartbreaking tragedy, and he delivers something on a similar note in the underrated A Most Violent Year. Then there's Star Wars, where he's a dashing hero, and which proves he's capable of handling a giant blockbuster.

In short, Isaac, who was linked with the Dark Knight himself, has everything necessary to portray Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Batman. He's got the looks, the charm, and most importantly, the range. He could convince as Gotham's best chance at a hero, and its worst nightmare as a villain. We could see him take a deep dive into Dent's troubled psychological state, both before and after being burned, with Isaac capable of delivering that with nuance and compassion when needed, and outright villainy when he needs to turn it up.

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