Eckhart talks Dark Knight

The latest trailer for the Dark Knight officially hit the Internet yesterday. And while the focus is firmly on Heath Ledger’s Joker, fans are in a frenzy over hints that another popular Batman rogue could show up in the film.

The trailer features several shots of Aaron Eckhart in the role of Harvey Dent. As comic fans know, Dent eventually transforms into the villainous Two-Face.

It’s been rumored for months that the transformation could take place during Dark Knight and foreshadow things for a potential third Batman film from the current production team. With the trailer and one particular scene, it appears that fans will see the transformation of Dent into Two-Face in the film.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times featured an interview with Eckhart, who confirmed that Two-Face will be in the movie and offered a few tantalizing hints of what’s to come.

“I can tell you that, basically, when you look at Two-Face, you should get sick to your stomach. Being the guy under all that, well, that was a lot of fun for me,” he said. “It’s like you would feel if you met someone whose face had pretty much been ripped off or burned off with acid.”

“There are fans on the Internet who have done artist’s versions of what they think it will look like, and I can tell you this: They’re thinking small; Chris is going way farther than people think,” he added.

My guy identifies with everybody in the movie,” Eckhart said. “Really, all of it is more than an adventure tale, it’s somewhat of a mirror of our times. It deals with some fundamental questions of what’s going on in society. To me, this film is about how Batman feels about justice, how he takes care of the city, how he feels about the Joker when he meets him and sees what he is capable of doing. How he feels when Harvey Two-Face takes matters into his own hands. It’s not simple, and it gets ugly. I think people will be surprised.”

Eckhard did go onto to reveal some details about the film that could be considered SPOILER material. To protect readers, we’ll place those comments after a break….

“The difference between Batman and Two-Face is how far they are willing to go and how they make their point,” Eckhart said. “Otherwise, we’re talking about vigilante crime-fighting. That’s what Batman is all about. He has a strong sense of justice. And Harvey Dent has an extremely strong sense of justice. His fiancée is killed. He’s horribly injured. But he is still true to himself. He’s a crime fighter, he’s not killing good people. He’s not a bad guy, not purely.”

Dark Knight opens in theaters on July 18.