Proving that no blockbuster is ever truly safe from spoilers leaking ahead of time, Barry Keoghan’s presence as the Joker in The Batman was revealed online long before the atmospheric reboot made its way to theaters, but that didn’t make the actor’s brief guest spot any less impactful.
While there were many who criticized Matt Reeves for shoehorning in the Clown Prince of Crime in Robert Pattinson’s very first outing under the cape and cowl, it’s not as if the Dark Knight’s arch-nemesis was a major player in the story. If anything, it was but a hint of what’s to come, because there was never much chance the Joker wasn’t going to show up eventually.
Keoghan’s take on the iconic villain is without a doubt the most gruesome version we’ve seen yet, and you’ve got to admire the Eternals veteran’s dedication to spending so long in the makeup chair for a single scene where his entire face wasn’t even visible. We’re all expecting him to return for the in-development sequel, and the fast-rising youngster already has plenty of backstory ready to go should he get the call, as he revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
“Obviously I’d love another crack. I’ve got a ton of back work done on him. If an opportunity does arise but, you know, they make the call, and I’ve got to respect that. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely, because I’ve got a few other things I’d love to bring. Actually, I have this little half-Moleskin book I’ve written a lot in already and so yeah, I want to show people what that is.”
Although there’s plenty of entirely valid criticisms that not every Batman movie needs to involve the Joker, Keoghan’s brief screentime only served to whet appetites, so we’d be more than happy to see him back in a much bigger role.
