‘The Batman’: Barry Keoghan Reveals How He Was Cast as The Joker — ‘You Cannot Tell Anyone’
Many viewers were surprised to see Barry Keoghan in The Batman as The Joker. The character is Batman’s most notorious villain, but he wasn’t the central villain of the Robert Pattinson-starring film. However, Keoghan initially auditioned to play a different character but ended up winning the role of Joker anyways. It’s a secretive role, and he had to keep it under wraps.
Barry Keoghan plays The Joker in ‘The Batman’
Batman came back to theaters in 2022 with The Batman. The movie starred Pattinson as a new version of the caped crusader alongside Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Paul Dano as The Riddler. While The Joker is always lurking in Gotham, many were not expecting to see him as The Riddler was the main villain of the film.
The Joker appeared near the end of The Batman as an inmate who resided in the jail cell next to Riddler. He isn’t in the movie for long, but it teases his future role in this series, promising a more twisted and frightening version of the villain. Warner Bros. later released a deleted scene where Batman visits Joker to get tips on who the Gotham serial killer might be. The two already have a history, and chaos could ensue if he gets out of his cell.
Keoghan auditioned to play The Riddler but earned the role of Joker
Keoghan wanted to be in The Batman once he knew it was happening and uploaded an audition tape as Riddler. The video has been online for three years but didn’t go viral until now. In the video, he emerges from an elevator, dressed in a more comic-accurate representation of The Joker. He looks the part, but it may not have aligned with the darker tone director Matt Reeves was aiming for.
In an interview with GQ, Keoghan says he didn’t receive a call for four months after giving the video to producers. He then received a call from his agent, who told him he’d been offered the role of The Joker.
“The Batman wants you to play the Joker – but you cannot tell anyone,” Keoghan says.
It’s not confirmed if Barry Keoghan will return as The Joker in the sequel, but it appears Reeves is setting up something in the future for his character. The Eternals star is eagerly awaiting his next chance to play the character.
“As soon as that call comes. I’m there man, I’m there,” Keoghan admits.
Keoghan wants to appear in a ‘Star Wars’ movie next
Keoghan has now joined two massive franchises. He is playing The Joker in The Batman universe, and he recently made his debut as Druig in Eternals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor tells GQ that he wants to be in a Star Wars movie and would love to work with Taika Waititi on his movie as he is a fan of the Thor: Love and Thunder director.
“I’m tryna meet him,” he quips, “I’ve been askin’ everyone.”
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie has been in the works for a while, but there has been no release date or casting news. Maybe Keoghan can secure a role in it so he can achieve the holy trinity of nerd franchises.
The Batman is streaming on HBO Max.
