THE BATMAN: PART II: Robert De Niro Reportedly Passed on Christopher Dent Role as Casting Carousel Continues
The casting puzzle for The Batman: Part II keeps getting more interesting, and now there’s a surprising name added to the list of actors who apparently walked away from one of its key roles.
As Matt Reeves gears up to return to Gotham, a new rumor claims that Robert De Niro was approached to play Christopher Dent… and turned it down.
With production expected to kick off this spring, the sequel is starting to come into focus. The story is rumored to lean heavily into the Dent family, with Sebastian Stan reportedly stepping into the role of Harvey Dent, while Scarlett Johansson is being eyed to play his wife, Gilda. That leaves Christopher Dent, Harvey’s father, as one of the last major pieces still in flux.
According to scooper Jeff Sneider, De Niro was offered the part but ultimately passed. It’s a curious development, especially considering De Niro already dipped into comic book territory as Murray Franklin in Joker. So it doesn’t seem like a genre issue. More likely, the role just didn’t spark his interest.
Reports also suggest that Brad Pitt, Stellan Skarsgård, and Daniel Craig have also declined the role, which is starting to make Christopher Dent feel like Gotham’s most elusive casting choice. More recently, Viggo Mortensen has been floated as a potential contender, though nothing is confirmed.
Adding a bit of mystery to the mix, writer Mattson Tomlin chimed in on social media shortly after the rumor surfaced with a simple, cryptic reaction: “lolololololol.” That could mean anything, but it definitely doesn’t shut the rumor down.
While Warner Bros. hasn’t revealed official plot details, all signs point to Harvey Dent becoming a major force in the story, potentially evolving into Two-Face.
That said, some fans are convinced Johansson’s Gilda Dent might not be as straightforward as she seems, with theories suggesting the character could blend elements of Holiday and Phantasm into something more dangerous.
Two-Face has a strong cinematic legacy to live up to. Aaron Eckhart delivered a grounded and tragic version in The Dark Knight, while Tommy Lee Jones went full comic-book chaos in Batman Forever. It’ll be interesting to see where Stan lands if these rumors pan out.
Stan himself has been cautious about the idea of joining Gotham’s rogues and heroes. He previously said, “I don’t know if Batman’s for me, but never say never,” he said. “I don’t know. There’s so many characters — I told you, I always had a soft spot for that Riddler, but that one’s been done.”
He’s also previously shared his appreciation for the franchise, saying in 2016, “I did see Batman v Superman, and I enjoyed it,” Stan shared.
“I think visually it was insane. I thought Ben Affleck was an incredible Batman. I thought that fight sequence he had against all the guys, that was sick. Even Jesse Eisenberg was cracking me up at some points. That’s all I got.”
Reeves returns to direct The Batman Part II, co-writing the script with Tomlin. The film brings back Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight alongside Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, and Jeffrey Wright.
We’ve still got a long road ahead before we see how all of this shakes out, but if the Dent family really is at the center of the story, Gotham’s next chapter could get seriously intense.
The Batman: Part II hits theaters on October 1, 2027.
