Barry Keoghan's Joker Rumored For Spin-Off Series Before Returning As THE BATMAN PART III's Main Villain

Barry Keoghan's Joker Rumored For Spin-Off Series Before Returning As THE BATMAN PART III's Main Villain

We may now have a better idea of Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves' plans for Barry Keoghan's take on The Joker, who was introduced in The Batman...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 08, 2024 09:11 AM EST
Filed Under: The Batman

Barry Keoghan made his debut as the Dark Knight's most iconic foe in The Batman, showing up near the end of the movie as an "Unnamed Arkham Prisoner" who converses with The Riddler (Paul Dano). It soon became clear that this disfigured criminal was supposed to be The Joker - or at least, the man who will eventually become The Joker.

Director Matt Reeves later shared a deleted scene featuring Keoghan's villain speaking to the Caped Crusader (Robert Pattinson), but the filmmaker has said that this shouldn't be taken as an indication that Joker is being lined up as the main antagonist of his sequel.

Keoghan has always stayed pretty tight-lipped about his potential return, but we may finally have some idea of what Warner Bros. and Reeves have planned for this latest big-screen take on the Clown Prince of Crime.

According to the Marvelvision podcast (via World of Reel), Keoghan is set to return as the Joker - but not in The Batman Part II (though a cameo is a possibility). The Eternals actor will reportedly reprise his role as the main villain in The Batman Part III, and his also in talks to headline his own HBO/Max Joker spin-off series that would lead into the final part of Reeves' trilogy.

Jeff Sneider has also heard that there are "big plans" for Keoghan's Joker, and believes a solo series in the same vein as The Penguin is highly likely.

As for The Batman Part II, Reeves recently shared the first official plot details during an interview with SFX Magazine, confirming that the movie will once again feature Batman investigating a mystery (not exactly a massive surprise). 

"We've shared [the script] as we've been going along with DC, and they're super excited," he told the mag. "It's going to dig into the epic story about deeper corruption and it goes into places [Bruce Wayne] couldn't even anticipate in the first one.

The seeds of where this goes are all in the first movie & it expands in a way that will show you aspects of the character you never got to see. Batman is constantly battling these forces. But those forces can’t be entirely exorcised. So the next movie delves deeper into that. "

This had led to speculation that Batman will be facing The Court of Owls, but it's probably going to be a while before we find out for sure.

There are other possibilities for the sequel's main antagonist(s), of course, but when it comes to certain villains the Caped Crusader may or may not be going up against, Reeves did indicate that certain "fantastical" characters - including the likes of Gentleman Ghost - are off the table.

"What was important to me was to find a way to take these pop icons, these mythic characters that everybody knows, and translate it so that Gotham feels like a place in our world," he added. "We might push to the edge of fantastical, but we would never go into full fantastical. It's meant to feel quite grounded.

It doesn’t mean that you won’t see characters that people love. That’s exactly what we want to do. Gentleman Ghost is probably pushed a bit too far for us to be able to find a way to do, but there is a fun way to think about how we would take characters that might push over into a bit of the fantastical and find a way to make sense of that.”

Co-writer Mattson Tomlin recently confirmed reports that cameras are set to begin rolling in 2025.

"It's shooting next year. We're gearing up, and I will say that the bar just couldn't be higher," Tomlin told ScreenRant.

"It's the sequel to the first one," he continued. "But also, Matt [Reeves] is like no other. In the five years now that I've been working with him as closely as I have, I've tried to absorb as much as humanly possible from him, and I'm so grateful for the time that I get to spend with him, because he is a true artist who is operating in a world where sometimes art doesn't get to flourish, and he's trying to make something that really matters. So to be able to just be on the ride and be part of that process, it's pretty unbelievable, pretty tremendous. I'm psyched for the movie."

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TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/8/2024, 9:46 AM
Great, if there's anyone who can restore respect to Joker's name, it's Reeves and his team.
asherman93
asherman93 - 11/8/2024, 1:21 PM
@TheJok3r - I’m kinda Joker’s out already, and prefer If he remained in a Hannibal Lecter-esque supporting role.
Forthas
Forthas - 11/8/2024, 9:54 AM
This may NOT be a good strategic idea. They should not seek to do a series about the Joker because we as an audience do not need to "understand" him. He will undoubtedly be compared to Heath Ledger and I don't think thsi iteration of Joker would stand up. In this universe I would make Joker a secondary character perhaps isolated to Arkham.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/8/2024, 9:58 AM
@Forthas - This seems to be the kind of Joker who will either take off and exceed every other version, or be the absolute worst one. I don't think we'll get anything in-between. I do however understand the reason they may be doing this. The build up to any Batman with Joker in it is big enough on it own, but if you start by giving him his own series, it could result in Batman III becoming a major cultural event due to the hype.
SATW42
SATW42 - 11/8/2024, 10:33 AM
@TheJok3r - Jared Leto is the basement. Period. There is literally no way for Barry to be worse than Leto.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 11/8/2024, 11:53 AM
@SATW42 - The sad thing is that a lot of "casuals" think Leto's Joker is the best version. They actually like his "gangster" take on the character.
RolandD
RolandD - 11/8/2024, 12:09 PM
@Shivermetimbers - They are entitled to their opinion no matter how wrong it is. 😉
MahN166A
MahN166A - 11/8/2024, 9:55 AM
I'm a little on the fence about this. Based on the storytelling they are doing with The Penguin, it sounds like this could be a homerun.
However, I've got Joker fatigue. With the way they approach the villains in this series, I feel like we would get another revamp of trying to emulate Ledger's performance. Yes, I know its not fair to make that early assumption, but this is all we have been getting as of late. The Riddler, Oz Cobb and Sofia Gigante have all had some intense and psychological approach to their characters.
I have been wanting to see an over the top, theatrical showmanship with The Joker. Where he wants to be considered the "Star of the Show".

And I didn't get any of that with that deleted scene that he was featured in.
NonPlayerC
NonPlayerC - 11/8/2024, 11:13 AM
@MahN166A - yeah to be honest I’d prefer a complete ripoff of heath ledgers joker. If Leto had tried to emulate what heath did it would have been good. Maybe not as good as heath but better than what we got. The deleted scene I agree didn’t feel right. Did they explain why he would already be in Arkham? This is supposed to be the towards the beginning of this Batman, have they already fought?


It the main point is the joker doesn’t need to be the star of the show literally speaking. Yes he’s the star in his own mind but he works best with Batman. We especially don’t need any childhood flashbacks or reasons why he’s the way he is. “Some men just want to see the world burn” Nolan understood joker. Just look at how the 3 times he tells people how he got his scars he changes the story each time.

It might be good if they just focus on him just doing crimes and screwing with penguins operation or something but hey, what do I know. Hope it is just a rumor but if not, who knows, if they get it right could be good
MahN166A
MahN166A - 11/8/2024, 12:25 PM
@NonPlayerC -

If Leto had a better script and better design, he might have been successful. But unfortunately that was not the case. What we got with Leto due to Ayer's vision, was iconic comic book imagery tailored to pull people in for ticket sales when the actual character was quite the opposite of what he truly is. And I honestly don't care for this "AyerCut" of the film when based on what he has shown us and what we have read about doesn't change anything about it. If the film had more Harley and Joker plot to it and was much more serious as they say, then the film should not have been called SUICIDE SQUAD. It should have been called MAD LOVE and only had Harley and Joker as the main characters. With that approach we PERHAPS could have seen a much better performance from LETO. But when I see him using a Tattoo to emulate a smile and going, "Hunka Hunka", and spending his entire arc trying to find Harley? It doesn't strike me as that being the Joker or even close to emulating what Ledger did with his performance.

With Keoghan: They didn't explain why he was in Arkham. We as the audience would have to assume he was doing something, ran into Batman and ended up there. They had to have fought and interacted already cause Keoghan's Joker says to Batman, "Almost our anniversary isn't it?" meaning its been a year since their first encounter. This Batman is a Year Two, meaning that The Joker encountered Batman during his Year One phase.
So at that point, how Joker ended up there based on their Year One encounter is up to audience speculation.

I agree, we don't need flashbacks of any sort. Which is why I say, we don't constantly need the whole, "Past and Multiple Choice" philosophy again. That is the problem with the character in his recent iterations. It's always displaying his psychological philosophy and ideology (methodical) in how he sees the world.
Me as a viewer, I'm just like, "Okay, we get it. We know how crazy he is, we understand his perspective and viewpoint. Everyone is just as crazy as he is, but he isn't afraid to show it. Everyone can go mad with just one bad day. NEXT!"

Which is where my stance lies. Seen it over and over where he states how crazy he is. I don't need him to constantly tell me, I wanna see him dial it up to 12 and SHOW ME.
I didn't see that with Joaquin Phoenix's, and I didn't see it Leto's. I want to feel uneasy watching The Joker.

I got that feeling when I watched what Sofia dealt with in Arkham. I felt that feeling when I saw OZ's backstory in regards to his brother's deaths.
So like I stated in my last comment, if they bring something truly unique from the storytelling they did in The Penguin with this character, then I am ready to eat my words.
But I want to see a Joker that has fun with his madness and shows a level of sickness and dementedness. I want to see laughing gas, kill someone with a metal edged playing card. Be the CLOWN Prince of Crime.
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 11/8/2024, 10:01 AM
Meh. Barry’s Joker was my least favorite shoehorn of that entire movie. It would’ve been a much smoother landing, in my opinion, without that staple in there.

Having said that, I really didn’t give much of a shit about The Penguin turning into a series, and I ended up loving it(so far, anyway). If you can pull that trick off with this Joker iteration, I’m all for eating my words again.
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 11/8/2024, 10:02 AM
Joker is a shitty villain and overrated af

STOP USING HIM

Batmans has way better villains than cringy Joker
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 11/8/2024, 11:56 AM
@GodHercules20 - I dont think he is shitty, but he is WAY overrated. I too wish they would move on to some of Batman's other villians. I am SO tired of Joker in the movies.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 11/8/2024, 10:11 AM
Oh lord ... as long as he isn't taking singing lessons.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 11/8/2024, 10:13 AM
please no, he sucked balls even more then no beef, and his laugh felt like I was watching Gotham again.
EducatedDefense
EducatedDefense - 11/8/2024, 10:19 AM
Unless they have something truly earth shattering in mind, I think most people would agree that it’s time to give this character a rest for a while until everyone is really ready for a fresh take.
MahN166A
MahN166A - 11/8/2024, 10:30 AM
@EducatedDefense - This right here
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/8/2024, 10:21 AM
Stupid rumor. After Joker 2, why would DC/WB make a Joker show? Penguin is great and popular now but these scoopers need clicks, inclusing sites like this who make articles out of them.

If he ever comes back, it will be great if it is under Gunn's DCU and using the BTAS approach. Im tired of grounded joker.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/8/2024, 10:49 AM
@vectorsigma - "After Joker 2, why would DC/WB make a Joker show?"

Because Joker is one of their most popular characters, and Reeves and his team are capable of repairing the damage done to him over the past few years.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/8/2024, 11:59 AM
@TheJok3r - i agree with you on Reeves. I just think that the Joker 2 damage is still fresh.

All of the Jokers we had recently in live action are grounded and would be refreshing to see a new take (btas as my example).

Id go with a Joker series on this Reeves universe, but I dont believe this rumor given the current situation.

A female centric follow up to Penguin might be better atm. Like Poison Ivy
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/8/2024, 12:05 PM
@vectorsigma - Keep in mind that this Joker show won't happen until 2027 or 2028, so people will have (hopefully) forgotten about the abomination we just got. There was a rumor years ago that a Catwoman show was being considered, but who knows at this point if that's still on the table or not. WB is bleeding $$$ at the moment, so they may not want to take that kind of risk.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 11/10/2024, 5:18 AM
@TheJok3r - good point. I guess im more into the point that this is an unbaseless rumors and i dont think WB is thinking about it at the moment.

Late reply and we got confirmation from Gunn that this is indeed not true.

Either way, a Joker from Reeves will be great. I just hope they give other characters some thought and chance
ItsNotForMeWahh
ItsNotForMeWahh - 11/8/2024, 10:23 AM
I wasn't entirely sold on his Joker in the movie however the quality of The Penguin does make me more optimistic.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 11/8/2024, 10:35 AM
@ItsNotForMeWahh - I still don’t like the design from the deleted scene, and I hope they tone it down a bit. It almost looked too fake make-upy
ItsNotForMeWahh
ItsNotForMeWahh - 11/8/2024, 10:59 AM
@MrDandy - I agree. The character design was very off putting
MrDandy
MrDandy - 11/8/2024, 10:33 AM
I’d be shocked if he doesn’t also show up in part 2 in some capacity. My bet is he will not be the main character but break out of prison and set the stage for part 3.
Slotherin
Slotherin - 11/8/2024, 10:35 AM
I guess this depends on what happens in 2. I'm all set with Joker in the sense that I don't think he needs any more projects for a while... he's still good for cameos and brief appearances imo.
It would be a weird move if he isn't used to much effect in 2, but we'll see
Nolanite
Nolanite - 11/8/2024, 10:44 AM
Bring back Jared Leto!
Kidding...
Barry has my approval just because it felt different.
Nolanite out
tmp3
tmp3 - 11/8/2024, 10:44 AM
Keoghan’s a great actor and Reeves is clearly a great creative, but even as someone who was utterly shocked at just how good The Penguin was, this feels superfluous. I do wanna see Keoghan and Battinson share the screen again though; think there’s crazy potential there. Maybe less is more with Joker (see also: Ledger)
xfan320
xfan320 - 11/8/2024, 10:44 AM
I want a HBO Joker show that's a prequel to the first film, telling the story of his first interactions with Batman/Vengeance and being caught and sent to Arkham...

"Wanna know how I got these scars??"

Yes, I do.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/8/2024, 10:51 AM
@xfan320 - Reeves said he wasn't against Batman being in a show, so we could get a two in one show that leads into Batman III, but also has flashbacks to their first encounter.
CharlesLeeRay
CharlesLeeRay - 11/8/2024, 10:45 AM
That would be nice! Facing all time foes looking like a crossover. That's why a series o movie about Doom would have been awsome before facing FF or The Avengers.
JayLemle
JayLemle - 11/8/2024, 10:53 AM
They're waiting for Part III to use the Joker! I REALLY like that idea. The Joker is one tired, played-out character. Hell, I don't care for The Dark Knight's Joker (nor the movie, either). Let's put even more distance between these cinematic Joker's, and explore other villains. What WBD has done with The Penguin is quite impressive. The Penguin's show proves WBD can deliver exceptional projects if they really invest time, and develop these stories with care.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/8/2024, 1:31 PM
@JayLemle - The Penguin and Batman prove that WB can deliver great things when they're not trying to copy Marvel. The problem is, that's what they're do more often than not. Imagine a Superman shared universe similar to this Batman one ? There's so much potential there, but that's not what we're getting.
TheJester187
TheJester187 - 11/8/2024, 10:53 AM
A hard R rating Joker show on max! Count me in. We could get the most violent joker in cinema tv if this is true. Perfect way to lead and end the trilogy.
TheVandalore
TheVandalore - 11/8/2024, 10:56 AM
I still haven't watched Penguin. I know people like it but I just can't convince myself to watch it. Idk if I'd tune in for a Joker show unless it was more than just Joker.
mountainman
mountainman - 11/8/2024, 10:59 AM
@TheVandalore - Not sure if this would swing your decision, but this is not only one of the best live action comic shows of all time, but (assuming the finale sticks the landing) it could even be one of HBO’s all time greats.

This show has far exceeded expectations and I fully expect Colin Ferrell and Cristin Milioti to get tons of award noms.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 11/8/2024, 11:06 AM
@TheVandalore - Not that it's saying much but the Penguin show is far more entertaining than that last Batman film.
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 11/8/2024, 11:01 AM
This Batman Saga Universe looks to be Epic

The Batman
The Penguin
The Batman Part II
The Joker
The Batman Part III
MisterBones
MisterBones - 11/8/2024, 11:04 AM
Absolutely NOT. Take a break from Joker please. Also Keoghan wasn't all that, even in the little screen time he had.
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