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‘The Batman: Part II' Director Gives First Look at Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson

By Brian Particelli Men's Journal

Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan are officially making the jump from Marvel to DC.

On Thursday, May 14, The Batman: Part II director Matt Reeves confirmed the two actors-as well as Game of Thrones alum Charles Dance-will appear in the upcoming sequel, while also sharing a pair of GIFs showing the two in action.

The casting confirmation comes after The Hollywood Reporter reported in December that Reeves was in talks with Johannson about her appearing in the film. THR also said in January that Stan was being eyed to play Harvey Dent, a Gotham politician who eventually becomes one of Batman's biggest adversaries, Two-Face.

Johansson will reportedly play Dent's wife, though neither DC Studios nor Reeves have confirmed their roles. Dance, meanwhile, is allegedly on board as Dent's father.

Matt Reeves Confirms Casting

Reeves began teasing production on The Batman: Part II earlier this month, confirming he was doing camera tests for the film. The test snippets he shared on social media showed the Batmobile in the snow, confirming the film will be set, at least in part, in winter.

Then, on Wednesday, he shared a GIF of Robert Pattinson's Batman, along with the caption, "We meet again, my friend..."

Additional GIFs confirmed the returns of Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon,Jayme Lawson as Gotham City Mayor Bella Reál, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Gil Perez-Abraham as Officer Martinez, and Colin Farrell as The Penguin. Reeves ended his posting spree by promising "more...tomorrow."

Well, "tomorrow" is here, giving fans their first looks at Johansson, Stan, and Dance. All three GIFs are sufficiently moody, matching the gritty vibes of Reeves' first film.

What Else We Know About The Batman: Part II

The movie was originally set to come on in October 2025, but was delayed twice. Now, it's scheduled for an October 2027 release. The sequel follows the first film, which grossed $772 million worldwide.

Speaking about the film in September 2025, Reeves told Josh Horowitz that the sequel will focus more on Bruce Wayne as a character since "the first story is so focused on Batman."

"I always wanted the movies to be focused on his character. In a lot of the other films, which I love, once you get past the origin tale, which we didn't quite do, but we did something that referred to his origins, then you start telling the Rogues Gallery story and that character's sort of arch," Reeves said at the time. "And I never wanted to lose Rob at the center of these stories, and so that is really what we set our aim on."

"Picking the right villain that digs into what that does, that goes into his past and his life, that's what drove that discussion. We're super excited about it," he added.

As for the identity of the main villain, Reeves wouldn't name names, but teased that it's someone that's "never really been done in a movie before."

Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman, however, is not expected to return.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 2:15 PM.

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