Actor Barry Keoghan responds to the release of his Joker deleted scene from The Batman. Director Matt Reeves' The Batman is currently playing in theaters and a tremendous success around the world, recently passing the $300 million mark at the U.S. box office. The film stars Robert Pattinson as the titular character, with Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, and Andy Serkis as Alfred. Another cast member in the film that was teased at the end of the film was Keoghan's Joker, who has a small scene with Dano's Riddler inside Arkham.
However, there was another scene shot with Keoghan's Joker which was ultimately cut from the theatrical version, as Reeves' believed it wasn't necessary within the larger narrative of The Batman. The scene in question had Batman visit Joker in Arkham during his investigation into the Riddler, seeking advice about the case from what he believes is a like-minded villain. WB just released the scene online, which gives a much closer look at Keoghan's performance as the infamous character, showing off more of his mangled appearance and alluding to the history he already has with the Caped Crusader in Reeves' new Bat-verse.
Now that The Batman scene has been made public and fans are able to get a new look at Keoghan's Joker, the actor responds to the clip, sharing his thoughts on Twitter. Keoghan retweets the deleted scene, saying that he's both "stuck for words" and "blessed" to play the iconic role, noting the "amazing actors" that have embodied the character before. Prior Jokers included Cesar Romero in the Batman TV show, Jack Nicholson in 1989's Batman, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Jared Leto in Suicide Squad, and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (with Mark Hamill as the best of the animated versions). Take a look at Keoghan's message below:
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Keoghan has been on the rise since making waves in films like Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of a Sacred Deer. He recently appeared in the MCU as Druig in Eternals, as well as HBO's Chernobyl and the Dev Patel-led The Green Knight. The actor was rumored to take on the role of Feyd Rautha in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part 2, but Austin Butler has since become the new reported favorite. It's unclear if Reeves will use Keoghan's Joker as the main villain in The Batman 2, but the tease alone has riled fans up to see more from his version of the Clown Prince of Crime.
The Batman deleted scene adds a tremendous amount of depth to the film, as it establishes Batman's history with Gotham City villains, making Reeves' new Bat-verse that much more exciting. It also shows a much clearer look at Reeves and Keoghan's take on Joker, which is decidedly different than any of the actors that have portrayed him before (and probably closest to Ledger's Joker in appearance). Some will argue that The Silence of the Lambs-esque scene is unnecessary to the film, while others will say it could have added to it. Either way, it's a great look at Reeves' vision for the character and shows that Keoghan has a distinct take on him, further driving the anticipation to see more of him in action in a potential sequel to The Batman.
Source: Barry Keoghan
