Face Two-Face

It's been awhile since we've heard any casting rumors concerning The Dark Knight--the sequel to Batman Begins...Filming is set to start some time in March of this year. As you might imagine, speculation is still running high on who will might play the all important role of Two-Face in the film (pictured below).

Stax of IGN has the latest TDK casting buzz via Batman-on-Film:

With The Dark Knight just two months away from the commencement of principle photography, the rumor mill has been working overtime churning out possible contenders for the key role of Harvey Dent, the Gotham City district attorney doomed to become the villainous Two-Face.

A slew of thesps have been rumored for the part over the last year, including Ryan Phillippe (personally my favorite contender), Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber. None of them appear to be "The One."

Now Batman-on-Film.com reports that it recently heard of three actors who may be under consideration to play Dent: Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Oscar nominee Edward Norton and the relatively unknown Eion Bailey.

BoF says Norton's reps shot down the rumor for them. Foxx is a name they claim has surfaced more than once from their sources. If Foxx is indeed in the mix and wins the role, he would be the second African-American actor after Billy Dee Williams to play the role...

Bailey is the most interesting rumored contender. The trades confirmed in 2004 that he screen-tested for the title role in Batman Begins. As BoF points out, Cillian Murphy also screen-tested for Batman, but won the part of the Scarecrow. Could it be a similar case with Bailey this time?

Interestingly enough, Bailey later tested for the Man of Steel in Superman Returns.

Bailey's credits include Mindhunters, Almost Famous, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself , Fight Club, and a stint on [TV's] ER (ex-Batman George Clooney's former stomping grounds) as "Jake Scanlon"

Edward Norton would be a great choice--as would Jamie Foxx. As for Eion Bailey, for a "relative unknown" he has carved out a nice resume just the same. I'm just not sure he has the acting chops for the role....He's a fine actor. I just haven't seen many of his meatier roles to make enough of a judgment one way or another...

I'm really surprised there's been no official announcement yet and that principal casting is still going on this close to the start of shooting.

In Other News:

The Superman DVD Debacle Saga Is Now Over...

The replacement discs from Warner Home Video arrived 3 weeks after sending back the defective DVDs...My Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition is now complete. I'll have some final thoughts on the whole set posted soon.