After choosing Christian Bale as his Batman, and stocking his cast with the likes of Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and adding Heath Ledger as The Joker, Chris Nolan’s run of excellent casting choices isn’t drying up anytime soon.
The latest actor jumping aboard the rejuvenated Bat franchise is Thank You For Smoking’s Aaron Eckhart. He’s taking on a role played previously by Tommy Lee Jones (and, trivia fans, Billy Dee Williams in 1989’s Batman) – Harvey Dent, the District Attorney and the boss of Rachel Dawes.
Of course, the most interesting thing about Dent is that he ends up having a nasty accident with some acid, suffering horrific facial burns and going insane, turning into Two-Face, one of Gotham’s most notorious villains. It’s a meaty role for any actor, and with Nolan (and brother Jonathan)’s solid touch at the helm and script, it should be something special for Eckhart. Though of course, he’ll likely have to wait until the third film to become his criminal alter ego.
And talking of Rachel Dawes – as played in Batman Begins by Katie Holmes - rumours are swirling that Nolan has picked Maggie Gyllenhaal to replace her. Good news if it’s true, and no doubt we’ll find out shortly, but for now, The Dark Knight has started shooting and will arrive in our cinemas next summer.
