The Batman director Matt Reeves has confirmed who Barry Keoghan plays in the film.
Major spoilers ahead for The Batman.
Matt Reeves has opened up about the most important reveal in The Batman. In an interview with IGN, the hotshot director revealed that he shot fake scenes to preserve a key reveal in the DC reboot. In the same interview, the director revealed that Barry Keoghan’s mysterious character is none other than Batman’s most notorious villain.
As The Batman comes to a close, Paul Danos’ Riddler is seen tucked away in his cell at Arkham Asylum. The character soon hears a piercing voice from his cellmate, played by Barry Keoghan, who spews a unique hyena-like cackle. The scene ends with the promise of a future team-up between the two to solidify their “friendship”. While it isn’t explicitly said in the film that the character is the Joker, director Matt Reeves has confirmed the character’s identity.
In the interview, Matt Reeves not only confirmed Barry Keoghan’s identity as the unnamed Arkham Aslyum cellmate but also revealed that there was originally more to the character in The Batman. The director went on to confirm that a deleted scene starring the Joker and Batman will be revealed down the road.
“What’s interesting is that the reason that Joker’s in the movie is there was actually another scene that was earlier. And because the movie is not an origin tale for Batman, but it’s his early days, it really is an origin tale for the Rogue’s Gallery’s characters. And for me, I think [it’s] this idea that the Joker is not yet the Joker, but they already have this relationship.
“The scene that was not in the movie, the scene that this is really the companion to, which is actually a really cool scene that will release at some point, it’s a scene where Batman is so unnerved because the Riddler is writing to him. And he’s like, ‘Well, why is this guy writing to me?’ And he figures he’s got to profile this killer.”
“He goes to see another killer that he’s clearly had an experience with in these first two years. And this killer in this story is not yet the character that we come to know, right? So everybody’s in their infancy. So in the comics, these characters often declare their alter egos in response to the fact that there’s a Batman out there. And so here, we have a Joker who’s not yet the Joker.”
Here is the synopsis for The Batman:
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as the titular hero, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál, with Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin.
The Batmanis out now in cinemas. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding the film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: IGN
