Never trust an actor. But does that mean when Aaron Eckhart says Two-Face is DEAD that you have a little doubt in the back of your mind? Or that when he says “I think Harvey [Dent] — if he’s not dead — is in a serious coma,“should you blow it off? Probably the latter. MTV trapped Eckhart on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, and got that quote for their trouble. He did follow it up with, “and I’m not sure he’s coming out. They might pull the plug on him.”
Not that it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for Christopher Nolan to retcon Two-Face out of the coffin for a third Batman film. The villain of the month club was fine in the comic book days of yore, but I always resented it once we got around to the series of movies started by Tim Burton. The actual appearance of Scarecrow in The Dark Knight was lame and uninspired, but the idea that put him there is a great one, and should be carried forward so that the villains become as real a part of the movies as the primary ‘good’ characters.
There are a lot of contractual problems with retaining high-profile actors to play second fiddle in a superhero flick, but Ledger and Echhart both proved that playing alongside the hero doesn’t mean you must be relegated to also-ran status. And with the Joker’s return for the third film standing as, at the least, a Very Bad Idea (unless the timeline jumps forward a la The Dark Knight Returns) Nolan and Co. could do a lot worse than to write Two-Face back into life. Ledger’s death did a lot for his chances.
All that being said, don’t take this statement too seriously. The script says he’s dead. The film says he’s dead. Eckhart has essentially still said he’s dead. But it’s a slow news day while everyone’s Golden Globe hangover wears off, so take this in stride.