The BatmanstarBarry Keoghanhas responded to the recent release of a hugely exciting deleted scene from the DC movie, which sees Robert Pattison’s Dark Knight turn to Keoghan’s early version of The Joker for help. Keoghan took tosocial mediato celebrate the release of the scene, as well as pay tribute to the actors who have portrayed the iconic supervillain before him.
The scene offersThe Batmanfans amuch better look at Barry Keoghanas the latest iteration of the Joker,with theEternalsstar following the likes of Jack Nicholson, Joaquin Phoenix, and Heath Ledger, all of whom have played the character in live-action.
The deleted scene fromThe Batman, which was released towards the end of last week, shows The Caped Crusader visiting The Joker in Arkham Asylum where he asks for his help in capturing The Riddler. The scene pays homage to the likes ofManhunterandSilence of the Lambs, with Keoghan’s Crown Prince of Crime offering his take on what he thinks of Gotham’s new serial killer, while of course goading Batman.
While the Joker’s face is still kept obscured in shadow, the clip gives us a much better look at what Keoghan will look like in the role. By far the most scarred version of the Joker to ever grace the screen, Barry Keoghan’s Joker sports a terrifying, permanent smile, which sits upon a face covered in scars. While the design would likely go through some changesshould the Joker appear in a futureThe Batmanproject, there is no doubt he will be utterly horrifying if-and-when he does return.
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The Batman is an Origin Story for the Villains
Rather than retelling Batman’s origin all over again,The Batmaninstead picks up two years into Bruce Wayne’s career of stalking the streets of Gotham City. Striking fear into the hearts of criminals has led Batman deep into the shadows of the city. 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 Catwoman, the Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and, of course, Edward Nashton AKA the Riddler.
The Batmanacts as an origin story for the villains rather than the titular hero, the Joker included. “What you’re seeing is a pre-Joker Joker, actually. We go back to the Conrad Veidt, The Man Who Laughs inspiration, which is a Bob Kane-Bill Finger reference,” director Matt Reeves explained. “Obviously, that guy has a congenital disease. He’s sort of like Phantom of the Opera, he can’t not smile. Instead of being like the story of the Elephant Man, where his grotesque outward appearance sort of belied the beautiful inside, this would form his nihilistic worldview and he would have an insidious understanding of human nature. That’s kind of where this psychology comes from in who this guy would be.”
Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell,The Batmanwill become available to stream on HBO Max on August 04, 2025.
