Sebastian Stan appears to have ended months of speculation about which Gotham City character he is playing in The Batman Part II.
The actor discussed several upcoming projects in a new interview with French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, including Avengers: Doomsday and Matt Reeves’ Batman sequel.
While insisting that he could not reveal details about the DC movie, Stan then identified his character by name, Harvey Dent. Harvey is Gotham City’s district attorney and, in DC mythology, eventually becomes the coin-flipping villain Two-Face.
The movie is currently scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on Feb. 18, 2028.
Le JDD Quotes Stan as Saying He Plays Harvey Dent
The apparent reveal came almost casually while Stan was discussing the secrecy surrounding his blockbuster work. Asked about Avengers: Doomsday, Stan said Marvel had not given the actors a complete screenplay. Instead, he said, they filmed scattered scenes as the movie continued evolving, a system that also made it more difficult for actors to accidentally reveal major plot details during interviews.
Stan then turned to The Batman Part II. “I can’t say anything about The Batman: Part II either, by Matt Reeves, where I play Harvey Dent,” Stan said in the French-language interview, according to a translation of the published exchange. The original French wording itself is unusually direct: “où j’incarne Harvey Dent,” meaning “where I play Harvey Dent.”
Just Jared noted the unexpected disclosure because Reeves had previously confirmed Stan as part of the cast without publicly identifying his role in his own casting announcement. The outlet also cautioned that it had not independently verified the translation and contacted Stan’s representatives.
Harvey Dent Had Been the Leading Reported Role for Months
Stan’s comment fits months of reporting about his character. He was first reported to be circling The Batman Part II in January, when details about his role were being kept under wraps. By May, Variety reported that Stan was set to play Harvey Dent.
Reeves then officially welcomed Stan to the cast as part of a series of social-media announcements confirming both returning actors and newcomers. The director posted a GIF of Stan with the message, “In a Gotham state of mind… Welcome.”
What Reeves did not do in that announcement was name Stan’s character. Stan’s physical preparation for the film and a closely cropped hairstyle prompted speculation that he might instead be playing another Gotham character.
Stan himself had previously discussed joining Reeves’ movie without identifying the character, describing the sequel as ambitious and predicting that it could surprise audiences if the filmmakers pulled off what they were attempting.
Harvey Dent Is One of Gotham’s Most Famous Tragic Figures
Harvey Dent occupies an unusual place in Batman mythology because he typically enters the story as one of Gotham’s most prominent allies in the fight against crime rather than as a villain. Traditionally portrayed as Gotham City’s district attorney, Dent works within the legal system to confront organized crime and corruption.
His life changes after one side of his face is severely scarred. The trauma contributes to his transformation into Two-Face, a criminal whose obsession with duality and chance is symbolized by his scarred coin. The character has appeared in several previous live-action Batman adaptations.
Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, although his version never became Two-Face on screen. Tommy Lee Jones played Two-Face in 1995’s Batman Forever, while Aaron Eckhart portrayed Harvey’s fall from idealistic district attorney to Two-Face in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008.
Reeves Has Confirmed a Much Larger Cast
Stan is joining a growing ensemble around Robert Pattinson, who returns as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Reeves has also confirmed the returns of Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb. The new cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Brian Tyree Henry, Charles Dance, Sebastian Koch and Stan.
Several of those newcomers’ characters have remained officially undisclosed despite speculation surrounding their roles. Reeves used individual social-media posts to welcome the actors into Gotham without providing character descriptions.
One of the sequel’s closely guarded casting mysteries appears to have been answered by the actor himself in the middle of an interview primarily promoting another movie. Stan was speaking with Renate Reinsve about their film Fjord when the conversation turned to his blockbuster projects. Le JDD also noted that Stan had shaved his head for work on The Batman Part II.
‘The Batman Part II’ Is Now Set for February 2028
The sequel has also undergone another release-date change since much of the earlier Harvey Dent casting coverage appeared. Warner Bros. moved The Batman Part II from its previous Oct. 1, 2027 date to February 2028.
The movie is currently scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on Feb. 18, 2028. Le JDD lists a Feb. 16 release in France. Reeves is directing from a screenplay written with Mattson Tomlin. Plot details remain heavily guarded.