Although a strong cast doesn't always necessarily translate into a great film, it doesn't hurt. In my mind the more you stack your movie with quality talent, the more likely it said movie comes out a winner. Director Matt Reeves' upcoming film THE BATMAN contains enough talent to rival the inmates at Arkham. Paul Dano will be taking on the role of The Riddler, Colin Farrell will tout an umbrella as The Penguin, Jeffrey Wright is set to light the Bat Signal as Commissioner Gordon, and Zoe Kravitz will display her feline grace as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. And of course there's Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight himself.
Another member of the cast who's no stranger to DC properties is Peter Sarsgaard. While Matt Reeves has made it a point to tweet each actor's respective character on Twitter, the same could not be said for Sarsgaard. Consequently, speculation has been running rampant for weeks as to who the actor will be playing. Most film pundits concluded that Sarsgaard would take on the part of Harvey Dent, Gotham's district attorney who is eventually scarred by acid and becomes the villainous criminal Two Face. However, if you had your heart set on Sarsgaard playing Dent prepare to be disappointed.
The other day Warner Bros. offered an official press release to announce the beginning of principal photography on THE BATMAN. In that same release was a list of the various cast members and what characters they would be portraying. According to the press release, Peter Sarsgaard will play Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson. If you're wondering who that is you're not alone. Colson is apparently a brand new character created by Matt Reeves.
It's important to note a couple things however. The name Gil Colson is eerily close to another known Batman character Gil Mason. Mason was a deputy commissioner on Batman: The Animated Series. Furthermore, Mason's character was criminally involved with Two-Face so make of that what you will. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. In THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Ben Mendelsohn appeared as John Daggett, a variation on Roland Daggett, also from Batman: The Animated Series.
It's also entirely possible that Matt Reeves could be lying to us and Peter Sarsgaard will in fact be Harvey Dent. After all it's passing strange that Sarsgaard would be playing a Gotham City district attorney that isn't Harvey Dent. Could he be Harvey Dent's replacement, with Two-Face already a known criminal? Guess we'll have to wait until next year to find out.
THE BATMAN starring Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, and Peter Sarsgaard opens June 25, 2021.