Many actors have added their own twist to Joker in Hollywood, and Barry Keoghan is the latest to join the list, bringing a unique undeniably gnarly vibe to the table. From only the aesthetic standpoint, it seems to be the darkest take on Joker yet. Thus, amidst all the chaos and confusion about whether this version will be part of Matt Reeves’ highly anticipated 2025 Batman sequel, the director provided audiences with an in-depth look at how he crafted the character for his cinematic universe.
Matt Reeves Reveals a Gritty Twist for Barry Keoghan’s Joker
The Joker has undergone various interpretations in the past, from Jared Leto to Joaquin Phoenix, each bringing their unique intensity to the screen. Thus, in a quest to make his Joker both recognizable and distinctive, Matt Reeves opted to craft the character with consideration for the biological condition it confronts. While some may draw parallels to Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal, only time will unveil the true distinction between the two renditions.
Meanwhile speaking with IGN, Reeves tried his best to explain his perspective, by stating,
“He’s got this congenital disease. He can never stop smiling. And it made Mike and I think about — I was talking about The Elephant Man because I love David Lynch. And I was like, —What if this is something that he’s been touched by from birth and that he has a congenital disease that refuses to let him stop smiling? And he’s had this very dark reaction to it, and he’s had to spend a life of people looking at him in a certain way and he knows how to get into your head.’”
He further continued,
“So [it’s] this idea of him being very incisive and brilliant and being able to get into your mind and basically having this nihilistic point of view that’s like from his inception, from his birth, life has been a cruel joke on him. And this is his response, and he’s eventually going to declare himself as a clown, declare himself as the Joker. That was the idea.”
Living a lifetime marked by this condition, the director detailed how Keoghan’s character perceives himself as the tragic “clown,” and thus this concept forms the foundation for the ongoing construction of the character. The intriguing thought process behind the development of this Joker has captured considerable attention, leaving audiences yearning to know more.
What does the Future of Barry Keoghan’s Joker Hold?
While uncertain about the future, the director hinted that this isn’t the end of Barry Keoghan’s Joker but rather the beginning of something unimaginable. Reeves, unsure from the beginning, also revealed how he almost omitted the scene from the 2022 movie, but adding it ended up changing everything. He stated,
“What you’re really seeing is a pre-Joker Joker,–And the idea for me, why I kept that scene in the movie, even though I cut the first scene that I’m describing, is because it was important for me at the end. I actually took the scene that’s in the movie still out for a brief time. And we tested it, and I realized that —but it’s also the moment of greatest danger in the city in a long time because it means that everyone is going to grab for power.”
He continued,
” And when Selina [Kyle] is talking to Batman at the end of the movie and they’re having their very poignant goodbye because they’re always going to be on the opposite sides of things, she says to him, ‘You know this place isn’t going to change.’ And when I took the scene out, the stakes of the scene changed”
Although the director explicitly mentioned that he cannot make any promises, his hints strongly suggest that this isn’t the end. The mere suggestion has left millions of fans buzzing with anticipation. The debate continues on where the Joker will make an appearance in the 2025 film.
The Batman Part II will be released on 3 October 2025.
