Could The Joker have a surprise appearance in an upcoming DC film?
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves and focuses on Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) in his second year fighting crime.
However, Bruce faces one of his most deadly adversaries yet in the form of a serial killer targeting citizens of Gotham City.
This villain, who leaves puzzles and clues in his wake, is known as The Riddler (Paul Dano)…
Along the way in his journey, Batman will come across nightclub worker and cat burglar Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), gangster Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and the future Penguin himself, Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell).
The cast also includes Jeffrey Wright as police officer Lieutenant James Gordon, Peter Sarsgaard as district attorney Gil Colson, Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Real, and Andy Serkis as Batman’s butler Alfred Pennyworth.
However, there is one additional cast member who is creating much chatter.
Eternals star Barry Keoghan has a role in the film but some fans think he could be playing a bigger character than previously announced.
In the meantime, for your guide to all of the Batman movies and how to watch in order see our explainer here.
The Batman 2022 theories: Is Barry Keoghan playing The Joker?
Well, naturally, fans are not entirely convinced that Barry Keoghan is only playing GCPD officer Stanley Merkel.
In the comic stories Batman: Year One and Batman: Dark Victory, Stanley is the first partner of Commissioner Jim Gordon but is later murdered by the mob.
However, it’s worth noting that director Matt Reeves has suggested that he took inspiration from the comic story Batman: The Long Halloween.
In this storyline, a host of Batman’s Rogues’ Gallery takes on the Caped Crusader.
The villains included in the comic are The Riddler, Catwoman, The Penguin, Poison Ivy and The Joker.
Some are suspecting that more villains appear in the film, which means they’re predicting a surprise appearance from the Clown Prince of Crime.
Additionally, fans think they could spot The Joker in the background of an image in the international trailer.
Can be is it him ???????? Reference to the Joker #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/WydHGJPGXD
— ????Robert Flores???? (@bigbobber89) December 12, 2021
The Hollywood Reporter addressed internet rumours that Barry Keoghan could be playing The Joker in the film.
They penned on their newsletter on 11th December: “Last month, the internet went a little crazy about Barry Keoghan maybe, maybe not, playing the Joker in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman.
“Don’t look to us to answers on that one. But we can tell you this: Multiple sources tell us that Warner Bros has been testing two different cuts of The Batman, one with a certain actor, one without. And the final test screening occurred last week, with the decision now made as to which version the studio likes, says one source.”
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RadioTimes.com has reached out to Warner Bros Pictures for comment on this report.
Either way, Barry Keoghan is one of the few actors to be in both a DC Comics adaptation and a Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
The Irish actor already won praise for his turn as the brooding character Druig in Marvel’s Eternals.
The Batman is due to be released in UK cinemas on 4th March 2022.
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