New fan art imagines what Billy Dee Williams could have looked like as Two-Face in a Tim Burton directed Batman movie. Billy Dee Williams had a small role as District Attorney Harvey Dent in Batman, with the actor taking the role with the understanding Dent would eventually transform into the villainous Two-Face in a sequel. It’s been misreported in recent years the character of Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) in Batman Returns was originally written as Dent, with the character’s electrocution by Catwoman in the finale explaining how he got scared. That said, one draft of the script did feature The Penguin trying to tempt Dent into join his criminal scheme; Dent flips a coin and decides to walk away.
While Batman Returns was a hit, it wasn’t quite the juggernaut the original was, with parents complaining about the darkness of the sequel. Burton had started planning a third Batman movie that would have introduced Marlon Wayans as Robin – after the character was cut from Returns during rewrites – and introduced The Riddler and Two-Face as villains. It soon became clear to Burton Warner Bros. no longer wanted him on the project, so he stepped aside while Joel Schumacher came on as director. While Schumacher’s initial cut of Batman Forever was somewhat darker, the final version was much more family friendly, with the movie also being made with the intention of selling lots of toys.
Michael Keaton opted out of Batman Forever because he hated the direction the franchise was going, and Tommy Lee Jones replaced Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Fans have always wondered what Williams would look like in the role, and now some fan art by Dalton Barrett imagines what Burton’s take on Two-Face might have been. It’s a much grislier look than the bright pink makeup used for the character in Batman Forever.
Despite being a great actor Tommy Lee Jones felt completely miscast as Two-Face, with the veteran performer hamming it up to obnoxious levels during the film. This was allegedly due to his dislike of co-star Jim Carrey as The Riddler and perhaps feeling he had to overact in order to compete. Carrey once revealed Jones flat out confessed to hating him during production, stating ‘I cannot sanction your buffoonery.’
Williams, sadly, never got a chance to develop his take on Two-Face for Batman Forever, but he did get to voice the role in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie. Some fans still hold out hope of a one-off reunion Batman movie with Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, and while Elseworld projects like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker indicate that’s possible, it’s unlikely to happen at this stage. The next entry in the franchise will be Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which is currently seeking a new Bruce Wayne after Ben Affleck officially departed the role. Rumored favorite Armie Hammer recently refuted claims he’s being courted for the project.
More: Why Ben Affleck Isn’t Playing Batman Anymore (& Why It Took So Long)
Source: Dalton Barrett
