Marvel movies legend tipped to join The Batman Part II in major role alongside Avengers' Scarlett Johansson – but who is he playing?

After some lengthy delays, we're finally seeing major progress when it comes to Matt Reeves's The Batman sequel – and it looks like the superhero flick may just have landed another exciting star.

With Scarlett Johansson already set to join the cast in an as-yet undisclosed role, it's now being reported that another Marvel favourite is in line for a major part: Sebastian Stan.

According to Deadline, the Bucky Barnes actor is "in talks" to join the film, which already boasts among its cast a number of high-profile returning stars including Robert Pattinson in the title role, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Andy Serkis as Alfred and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.

As for who Stan will be playing, that's not been confirmed just yet – but one rumour suggests he could be set to play iconic comic book character Harvey Dent/Two-Face, who has previously been played in film by Billy Dee Williams (Batman), Tommy Lee Jones (Batman Forever), Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) and most recently Harry Lawtey (Joker: Folie a Deux).

That rumour has been heavily implied by Hollywood journalist Jeff Sneider on X, although that's by no means confirmation that Stan will definitely be playing Two-Face.

Sneider had previously reported on TheInSneider.com that Dent, his wife, and his father would be playing prominent parts in the narrative, with Johannson set to play Mrs Dent and Brad Pitt having turned down the chance to play Harvey's alcoholic father. However, these reports also remain unconfirmed for now.

Of course, while Stan is still best known for his long-running role in the MCU – which he will be reprising once again in this year's Avengers: Doomsday – he has recently won acclaim for his roles in non-franchise fare, including a standout turn in arthouse film A Different Man and an Oscar-nominated performance as Donald Trump in The Apprentice.

He's also got several more director-driven projects in the pipeline, including Cristian Mungiu's upcoming Fjord, alongside Sentimental Value star Renate Reinsve, and Justin Kurzel's Burning Rainbow Farm with Leo Woodall.

It was announced last summer that The Batman II aimed to begin production in spring 2026, four years after the brooding first film opened to strong reviews in March 2022, with the sequel's release currently set for October 2027.

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn had previously defended the long gap between films, stating that Reeves "is committed to making the best film he possibly can".

"No one can accurately guess exactly how long a script will take to write," he wrote on Threads. "Once there is a finished script, there is around two years for pre-production, shooting and post-production on big films."

As soon as we hear any more concrete updates on the film's production timeline, we'll let you know.

The Batman Part II is coming to cinemas in October 2027.

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