Matt Reeves is opening up about how Barry Keoghan’s Joker will be different than previous iterations of the character.
Keoghan played the Clown Prince of Crime in a deleted scene from 2022’s The Batman, which was directed by Reeves. It’s not yet clear when Keoghan’s Joker will next return in The Batman Epic Crime Saga, as the main villain who will be featured in The Batman Part II has not yet been announced.
It was also previously reported that a Joker limited series is in the works and will bridge the gap between The Batman Part II and Part III; however, James Gunn debunked this, as he said on Threads that “a Joker series is not being discussed nor has even come up at this time.”
What did Matt Reeves say about Barry Keoghan’s Joker?
While fans wait to see where Keoghan’s Joker shows up next, Reeves told The Hollywood Reporter that they’re hard at work making sure this version of the character will be different than previous versions played by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix.
“Anytime you’re going to approach any of these characters, you have to find a fresh way to do it,” Reeves said. “So that makes it incredibly daunting. At the same time, this version of Penguin is a version of Penguin that no one had ever seen. The only way to do it is to feel like you’re earning your place because otherwise you’re just doing more, and people are going like, ‘Well, we’ve seen it, so what do you got for us?’ So how can it be the thing we love, but also something we haven’t seen? That’s always the challenge. So with a character like that, that would have to be the bar.”
The Batman Part II is currently scheduled to be released in United States theaters on October 2, 2026. All eight episodes of The Penguin, meanwhile, are now available to stream on Max.
