9 “Perfect” Casting Decisions That Went Horribly Wrong

6. Tommy Lee Jones As Harvey Dent/Two-Face - Batman Forever

Casting iconic comic book villains always gets more attention than most other casting decisions. With such a huge fanbase behind the Batman universe, getting it wrong can not only mean a loss in box office returns but also invoking the wrath of millions of angry nerds out for blood.

The problem with Tommy Lee Jones's performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face was summed up by one critic, who described it as "a Joker knock-off rather than a multi-layered rogue." Hammy and over the top (although to be fair, also completely in keeping with the overall tone of director Joel Schumacher's unfortunate vision of where the franchise should go), it bore a lot more in common with his turn as a terrorist in Under Siege than the complex performance from Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight. In short, in the words of another critic it was "a complete mockery of the character."

Still, it was another 90s blockbuster hit to add to JFK, The Fugitive and Natural Born Killers, and with Men In Black on the horizon it's unlikely Jones lost any sleep over the criticism his portrayal of Two-Face drew from Batman's legions of fans. We can all be thankful that Nolan came along and eventually put things right again.