WhenThe BatmandirectorMatt Reevesannounced the latest cast members joining his upcoming superhero film, he did so with aconfirming tweetrevealing the character they’d play. But whenPeter Sarsgaard(Interrogation) was added to the cast, Reeves kept it close to the chest, simply paraphrasingTommy Wiseaubytweeting, “Oh… Hi, Peter…” His character was never named. Speculation ran rampant, with our own lawyer Thomas Reimann gathering up the evidence hinting toward one fate:Sarsgaard’s playing Two-Face!But now, Warner Bros. has offered anofficial press releaseto announcethe beginning of filming onThe Batman. The press release, quite casually, states Sarsgaard’s character’s name. And it’s… not Two-Face.
It’s “Gotham D.A. Gil Colson.” Which is… not a famousBatmansupervillain character. Two-Face’s real name is “Harvey Dent,” after all. As far as we can tell, Gil Colson is a regular-ass name with no connotations to the long-running franchise. So what does this mean for Sarsgaard inThe Batman? I’ve got three working theories:
One: Reeves and co-writerMattson Tomlinhave indeed crafted a new character from whole cloth from their newBatmantake. Dent was a district attorney for Gotham City, yes, but Reeves and Tomlin want a new attorney with new conflicts to explore. This sounds pretty good to me!
Two: Gil Colson will borrow elements from other Gotham City villains while being “his own thing.” IfTodd Phillipscan make “Arthur Fleck” the Joker, maybe Reeves can make “Gil Colson” Two-Face, eliminating some of the “Harvey Dent” baggage while exploring some of the themes evident in the character with a new take. This sounds pretty good to me!
Three: Warner Bros. is straight up lying to us. “Gil Colson” is an obvious code name meant to drive us off the scent, and once we see the film, it shall be revealed that Sarsgaard was Harvey Dent/Two-Face the whole time. This… sounds pretty good to me!
No matter where Reeves, Tomlin, and Sarsgaard take us with Gil Colson, it sounds like the character will fit into the specific Gotham City they’re going for. And that is exciting for any fans of Batman.
The Batmancomes to theatres June 20, 2025. For more on the production, here’swhat city will be playing Gotham. Plus:Sarsgaard’s interesting point of comparison for the script.
