This article contains spoilers for The Batman.Matt Reeves has stunned audiences with his star-studded adaptation of the iconic DC character.The Batmanshows a new side of the Caped Crusader and several other DC characters. In a recent interview, Reeves revealed that he went to drastic measures to surprise viewers with one character’s surprise cameo.
The Batman’s impressive list of characters includes Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), The Riddler (Paul Dano), James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), Gil Coulson (Peter Sarsgaard), andAlfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis). The film’s early casting announcement also revealed that Barry Keoghan would appear in the film as Stanley Merkel.
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In an interview with IGN, Reeves revealed that he and Warner Bros. intentionally wanted to throw fans off aboutKeoghan’s role inThe Batman. When asked about the level of detail he and Warner Bros. put into tricking fans, Reeves said that in making a movie likeThe Batman, people want to have a special experience. For Reeves, part of that is some sort of surprise. “I think one of the things I was worried about was speculation while we were making the movie, that we would be exploring the character that we ended up exploring,” Reeves said. “So we started thinking of what we could do to throw people off that scent.” The way Reeves and the crew did that was by shooting fake scenes.
In 2020, Keoghan was announced to play Stanley Merkel, a member of the Gotham City Police Department. Leaked set photos of Keoghan dressed as a member of the force appeared to confirm the casting announcement. Keoghan evenshared photos of himself onThe Batmanset. These leaked photos ended up being fake scenes shot to throw people off about Keoghan’s surprise role. “This idea of making him Stanley Merkel was exactly that, because the police force is actually a big part of the story so it seemed credible that we could be doing that,” Reeves explained.
Secrets for blockbuster films are hard to keep tight-lipped. Some ofSpider-Man: No Way Home’s biggest surprises were rumored and leaked months before the film hit theaters in late 2021. Despite Reeves' attempts to surprise fans, rumors continued to swirl about the true nature of Keoghan’s role. Months beforeThe Batmanpremiered, Keoghan’s brother responded toonline comments about him playing the Joker. His comments seemingly confirmed that Keoghan would play the iconic DC villain. The leaked set photos of Keoghan aren’t the only misleading images to come fromThe Batman’s set, as Zoë Kravitz was spotted in a black outfit that actually turned out to be an illusion from Bruce’s perception.
Those who have seenThe Batmanknow that Keoghan’s appearance in the film is limited, but is enough to confirmhis actual casting as Joker. Keoghan joins the company of iconic live-action performances from Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Cameron Monaghan, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jared Leto. Only time will tell how Keoghan’s performance will stack up amongst these stars who have played the Joker.
