Thank You For Smoking star Aaron Eckhart is in final negotiations to play Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, Chris Nolan’s sequel to Batman Begins.
Ryan Phillippe was previously rumored to be in talks to play young Harvey Dent, Gotham’s District Attorney who later becomes the villainous Two-Face. Tommy Lee Jones played the character in 1995’s horrendous Batman Forever.
The sequel will follow Batman as he enlists the aid of Gordon and Dent in “bringing down the Joker… but not killing him. In the third movie, the Joker would go on trial, scarring Dent in the process,” screenwriter David Goyer previously revealed.
Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman have previously signed on to return. Heath Ledger signed on last summer to play the Joker.
Eckhart’s a great choice for Dent. Nolan’s casting thus far has been spot-on (okay, may-be Katie Holmes was unneeded, and Ledger’s Joker is a “wait and see”)
The Dark Knight is set to hit theaters on July 18th 2008.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Yeah if Goyer’s words are taken as fact - Ledger’s death will surely complicate Joker’s trial…
Personally I don’t see the point of the Joker going on trial… In the third act I think the writers need to look at the ‘Redemption of Harvey Dent’ - he gets his faced fixed etc etc
But they leave it nicely open to the fact that under the corrected skin…Two-Face may still be alive!
Al Ghul will be back to question Batman’s beliefs - Scarecrow will pull his last prank (I get a feeling Two-Face will go on trial for killing a criminal in tough justice)
…There is room though for a new villan - who will it be?
Thats one thing I really have no leads on…