The excellent ” The Batman allowed actor Paul Dano to take on the role of the Riddler. But did you know that Barry Keoghan, who embodies the Joker in the feature film, initially applied for this role? For this, he sent a video of himself.
The Batman : huge success
After Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, and the incarnation of Ben Affleck in the DC Extended UniverseBatman returned this year worn by Robert Pattinson. On March 2, 2022, the French public was able to discover The Batman. A deeply dark, violent film of impressive maturity. Directed by Matt Reeves – the filmmaker behind the last two films The Planet of the Apes -, the feature film met overwhelmingly positive reviews and spawned more than $770 million in box office receipts.
The Batman can also count on strong and iconic super villains. Colin Farrell embodies The Penguin, Paul Dano is the new face of the Riddler (The Riddler in VO), and Barry Keoghan is camping a whole new incarnation of the Joker. But the latter had initially applied for the role of the Riddler. It was his audition that prompted the production to offer him the (small) role of Joker.
From one role to another
After his recent appearances in Dunkirk, The Green Knight and obviously The Eternals, Barry Keoghan therefore inherited the role of Joker for The Batman. In a recent interview with QGthe comedian revealed that, basic, he had tried his luck for the role of the Riddler. He explains that when he learned that The Batman was going to go into production, he sent on his own, without any solicitation from Warner, a video where he stages himself in the skin of the Riddler.
Later, he met producer Dylan Clark. The latter explained to him that the role of the Riddler was already taken. At the time it was Jonah Hill who was to camp the antagonist. But four months later, Barry Keoghan received a call from his agent saying:
Warner wants you to play the Joker in The Batmanbut you can’t tell anyone yet.
It is therefore thanks to his initiative that Barry Keoghan landed the role of Joker. A minor role in the final cut of The Batman since the actor only appears for a short scene. However, a few weeks after the release of the film, Warner unveiled a deleted scene that put a thrilling verbal confrontation between the Dark Knight and his nemesis. The opportunity for spectators to see the involvement and the game always very fair Barry Keoghan.
As for his future in the DC Universe, it remains uncertain. For the moment, no statement regarding his return as Joker was not brought. However, Barry Keoghan has never hidden his enthusiasm to return under the make-up of the Prince of Crime of Gotham. And it would be surprising if Matt Reeves didn’t use it in the future.
