Warner Bros. Pictures just released a new teaser for Todd Phillips’ upcoming movie Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019’s Joker, and it briefly showed a character who wasn’t featured in the first trailer but was heard in the voiceover. Those who watched the trailer with closed captioning knew that Harvey Dent was in the movie, and now the actor playing the role has been revealed.
The 30-second teaser shows Arthur Fleck aka The Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) watching a press conference on TV where Harvey Dent is speaking. British actor Harry Lawtey plays the role of Dent, a newly-elected District Attorney of Gotham City determined to prosecute Fleck: “Arthur Fleck is a monster who knew exactly what he was doing. His depraved acts of violence led to riots by his followers, and they are still willing to commit acts of violence in his name.”
Lawtey is most known for his appearance in the drama series Industry as well as movies including City of Tiny Lights, Benediction, and The Pale Blue Eye.
Who has played Harvey Dent on the silver screen?
Harvey Dent first appeared in Detective Comics #66 (1942) as Harvey Kent before his last name was changed to Dent in Batman #50 (1948). District Attorney Dent was once an upstanding character and an ally to Batman and Commissioner James Gordon. However, the left side of his face was severely disfigured after a mob boss he was prosecuting, Sal “Boss” Maroni, threw acid in his face during a court trial. The incident left Dent mad and resulted in his villainous persona, Two-Face. Dent has an obsession with the number two and relies on his two-headed coin — one with a good side and a bad side — to make pivotal decisions.
The character of Harvey Dent has appeared in a few movies on the silver screen. A young Harvey Dent, played by Billy Dee Williams, appeared in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). Dent as Two-Face, portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, was featured in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995). He was also played by Aaron Eckhart in Christoper Nolan’s The Dark Knight (1998). Based on the Joker: Folie à Deux teaser, Lawtey will be portraying a younger version of the District Attorney, and it isn’t clear whether his Two-Face identity will be making an appearance.
Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga will be reprising their roles as Arthur Fleck/The Joker and Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, respectively. The film also stars Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, Brendan Gleeson, and Steve Coogan. Joker: Folie à Deux will be released in theaters on Oct. 4, 2024.