Barry Keoghan's Casting In The Batman Was An Odd Journey
Given how many versions of The Dark Knight exist throughout film and television, the decision to retell Bruce Wayne’s story in the 2022 The Batman film was a risk from the start. Ever since the movie’s release, superhero fans have been rallying behind Robert Pattinson for his portrayal of the Caped Crusader, praising his both performance and his fresh take on the character. Having garnered over $700 million at the box office, The Batman continues to be a smash-hit worldwide.
Director Matt Reeves pushed the envelope even further with his decision to introduce a brand-new Joker, especially since Joaquin Phoenix had just won an Oscar for his rendition of the character. On top of that, Heath Ledger has gone down in history as the greatest Joker of all time, and he significantly raised the bar for what it takes to play the Clown Prince of Crime.
The Batman Begins Streaming On HBO Max Next Week
Even so, Reeves pushed forward with his decision to bring back the Joker, and Barry Keoghan’s journey towards becoming the Clown Prince was certainly an odd one. Originally, after Reeves announced Keoghan would be playing a part in The Batman, fans were told he would be taking on the role of Gotham City police officer Stanley Merkel. Since it was already known that Jeffery Wright would be playing James Gordon at the time of Keoghan’s casting announcement, Batman fans assumed the film would be drawing on the relationship Gordon and Merkel had in the comics.
As it turns out, naming Keoghan as Stanley Merkel was a strategic move made by the cast and crew, intended to throw fans off their game when searching for movie spoilers. When The Batman hit theaters, Keoghan was credited as an “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” although his clown reference and
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