Matt Reeves’ version of DC movie The Batman, which starred Robert Pattinson as a younger, darker, iteration of Bruce Wayne, was a surprise success, with Pattinson, Paul Dano, and Colin Farrell all being praised for their roles as Batman, The Riddler, and The Penguin respectively. However, there was one iconic Batman villain missing from this superhero movie, and that was the Joker, Batman’s archenemy and the Clown Prince of Crime.
However, a post-credit scene for the detective movie revealed that we might be seeing the Joker after all, with Barry Keoghan making a surprise cameo, complete with the iconic laugh, as his version of the Joker befriends the recently-defeated Riddler.
Although the Joker actor’s introduction as the character was brief, Keoghan’s appearance in the post-credit scene and a later-released deleted scene, where he verbally spars with Pattinson’s Batman was enough to get audiences hyped for his future in the Batman movies.
Keoghan, who most recently appeared in drama movie The Banshees of Inisherin, opened up about how he prepared to be the DC movie character in a new interview with the New York Times.
“It was intimidating,” he said. “But if you stay true to yourself, that in itself is new. I know that sounds pretty lame, but I’m a big believer that if I’m myself, whatever I do is going to be completely fresh and unique. You build the character up before production, get familiar with their world, build a mood board, listen to the music they do, kind of dress like them, answer all the copybook questions you’ve written down — and then go on set and let the instincts take over.”
When asked how he’d feel about doing a whole movie as the Joker, the Marvel movie actor added, “That would be a dream, I tell you. I already have a back story that I’ve created in case it does happen — a totally fresh way of playing him.”
The good news is, a sequel to The Batman has already been announced — check out our guide on everything you need to know about The Batman 2.