Some exciting casting news for The Batman II has been shared. As reported by Deadline, Andy Serkis will be returning as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's Butler and childhood guardian, despite wrapping up final stages of production for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum coming out later this year.

There was concern that his busy schedule would prevent him from returning to Gotham, but according to Screen Rant, Serkis said he "won’t be joining them immediately," them being The Batman II production, but "by the end of the year, I will be." 

Serkis was an excellent presence in the first iteration of The Batman, providing moral clarity to Pattinson's ruthless pursuit of vengeance as Batman. It's exciting to see him return but there's even more exciting casting news, The Batman II inally found it's Harvey Dent in Sebastian Stan as well as Scarlett Johansson in an undisclosed role, rumored to be Harvey's wife, Gilda.

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Per Deadline, "Serkis will join a cast in Batman II that includes Robert Pattinson returning as the Caped Crusader, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Scarlett Johansson, and Sebastian Stan as Harvey Dent."

There were speculations earlier this year that Stan was being eyed for the role of Harvey Dent, but this latest report seemingly confirms this. For a certain type of fan, they will probably recognize Stan and Johansson from their roles as Winter Soldier and Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic universe. At least we already know they will have good onscreen chemistry.

Mike Marino FX, the studio behind Colin Farrell's transformative Penguin makeup, has been brought on again for the sequel, and luckily they've already worked with Sebastian Stan already for A Different Man. Fans have been excited to hear this news, given the studio's previous work on The Batman. One fan left a comment saying "Can't wait to see what you cook up with Harvey dent in the batman part 2" while another fan on Twitter/x said that "He’s about to cook the most disgusting looking Two-Face." 

This recent casting news comes shortly after reports that production has having difficulties finding an actor to portray Christopher Dent, Harvey's father, suggesting that Harvey Dent/Two Face will have a prominent role in the movie. According to industry insider, Jeff Sneider, Robert De Niro was offered the role but ultimately turned it down. 

Serious post: Shortly after I published this tweet, someone reached out to say that De Niro was, in fact, offered the role... and passed. Drats! https://t.co/IcvhvWCyr9

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) March 18, 2026

This isn't entirely surprising since De Niro did not have a great experience on the set of Joker (2019), the last comic book movie he was featured in. This news comes after reports that other A-listers such as Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgård, and Brad Pitt were also offered the role but all declined. One would hope this is a result of conflicting schedules and not script quality. 

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Despite challenges associated with the 2023 writer's strikes and a newly formed DC Studios, it was up in the air whether the movie would be made at all.

After several years of writing, Director Matt Reeves, finally posted a blurry photo of a script last June that read "The Batman: Part II" confirming to fans that the movie would be moving forward. The Batman II is set to begin shooting in June with a tentative release date of October 2027.