Then & Now: Whatever Happened to The Dark Knight Cast 15 Years Later?

written by Lee Jevon

September 24, 2023 6:40 am

Then & Now: Whatever Happened to The Dark Knight Cast 15 Years Later? — Image credit: globallookpress, Legion-Media

It’s one of the best films ever - which is no surprise given its stellar cast!

Widely regarded as the best of the Batman films and one of the greatest movies of all time, The Dark Knight is now 15 years old.

Now seems like a good time to ask what the cast has been up to since 2008 and where they are now:

Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman)

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Still relatively unknown when he landed the role of Batman, Christian Bale has certainly made the most of the opportunity. Since then, he's starred in everything from biblical epics like Exodus: Gods and Kings to sports biopics and comedies. He's also a producer now. And he played Gorr, the God Butcher, in Thor: Ragnarok.

Heath Ledger (The Joker)

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Sadly, an acting career that still had so much promise was brought to a tragic end before The Dark Knight was released. Australian actor Ledger died of an accidental overdose in New York on January 22, 2008. He received a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker.

Michael Caine (Alfred)

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Now in his 90s, Michael Caine's career shows no signs of slowing down. He's starred in an astonishing 28 films since 2008, including The Great Escaper, in which he plays Bernard Jordan, who "escaped" from his nursing home in 2014 to take part in D-Day commemorations. The movie will be released on October 6 this year.

Gary Oldman (James Gordon)

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Oldman is another actor who has been busy in recent years. He starred in the 2009 computer-animated version of A Christmas Carol and played wartime leader Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. He reunited with Christopher Nolan for the role of Harry S. Truman in Oppenheimer.

Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face)

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Eckhart was nominated for several awards for his portrayal of the villain Two-Face. He didn't appear in The Dark Knight Rises, but his career since that film has seen him land roles in major films like I, Frankenstein and Midway. He also voiced Cary in the adult animated sci-fi Pantheon.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes)

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Now a director, writer and producer, after playing the hero's love interest in The Dark Knight, Gyllenhaal went on to star in several films, including Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang. She starred in The Kindergarten Teacher, her debut as a producer, and wrote, directed and produced the 2021 psychological drama The Lost Daughter.

Cillian Murphy (The Scarecrow)

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Murphy's career has taken off in the past few years. After reprising his role as The Scarecrow from Batman Begins, he went on to play the same character in The Dark Knight Rises, but it was as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders that he really came to the fore. He's currently starring as the title character in Oppenheimer.

Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox)

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From playing Nelson Mandela in Invictus to a role in Ted 2, Morgan Freeman's career has been varied since he played Lucius Fox. He's still going strong and is currently filming two movies - 57 Seconds and Gunner. He was also an executive producer on The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.

David Dastmalchian (Thomas Schiff)

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As one of the Joker's henchmen, Dastmalchian had only a small part in The Dark Knight, but he delivered it brilliantly. This was his film debut, but his filmography is now long and varied. An actor and comic book writer, he has appeared in Ant-Man, Blade Runner, Batman: The Long Halloween, James Gunn's Suicide Squad, and Oppenheimer.

William Fichtner (Bank Manager)

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Currently starring in Hypnotic, Fichtner played the bank manager who confronted the Joker in The Dark Knight. He had been acting for several years when he was given the role. He starred in The Lone Ranger and played the villain Eric Sacks in the 2014 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Anthony Michael Hall (Mike Engel)

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Hall played reporter Mick Engel in The Dark Knight and has since had a number of roles in film and television. On the big screen, he appeared in the crime drama Live by Night and the slasher film Halloween Kills. His television credits include episodes of American Dad!, CSI: Miami and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Néstor Carbonell (Mayor Anthony Garcia)

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New York-born Campbell appeared in 29 episodes of Lost in addition to playing Anthony Garcia in The Dark Knight. He reprised the role for The Dark Knight Rises and has also appeared in numerous other films and television shows, including Bates Motel and The Morning Show.

Colin McFarlane (Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb)

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English actor McFarlane has taken on roles as diverse as Beresford in Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor and Seth in the Swedish comedy The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared. Fans of Outlander will recognise him as Ulysses from seasons 4 and 5 of the Starz period drama.