During a recent commentary on The Batman's deleted scene, director Matt Reeves reveals why the Joker's face was kept out of focus. Having released in theaters back in March, The Batman has enjoyed enormous success at the box office, having grossed more than $760 million globally. On top of this, after recently releasing on HBO Max, Reeves' detective-noir take on the Caped Crusader's story went on to secure more than 4 million views in its first week of streaming. The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight and follows his second year of protecting Gotham. Pattinson's supporting cast includes the likes of Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, and Paul Dano.

The Batman saw its titular hero come up against Dano's Riddler, a terrifying killer whose hatred for the Wayne family ran incredibly deep. With Riddler eventually sent to Arkham following his vicious attacks across Gotham, the film's final moments saw the villain meet a fellow inmate, played by Barry Keoghan and simply credited as "Unnamed Arkham Prisoner." While context clues seemed to suggest that this inmate was in fact the Joker, official confirmation of Keoghan's role came in the form of a deleted scene later released by Reeves, in which Batman meets with this mysterious character in order to learn more about Riddler, with Keoghan's face only revealed to viewers in small, out-of-focus glimpses.

Related: Joker's Backstory In The Batman: Origin, Scars, Injuries & Pattinson Past

Now, Reeves breaks down this Joker deleted scene, offering up various behind-the-scenes details of its making. In a commentary shared by Warner Bros., the director reveals that, while writing the script, he always intended for the Joker to be out of focus. Reeves discusses how Keoghan's villain is an early version of the character who has not yet become the comic book villain fans know, and that the reveal of his mouth towards the end of the scene was intended to add to this idea. Check out Reeves' quote below:

I think one of the fun things to talk about in terms of what [make-up artist] Mike Marino and I talked about [is that] I always wrote him in the script that he would be out of focus and that you’d only see his mouth up close at the end and that’s where you would realize that this is some early iteration of the Joker. But Mike only had the out-of-focus space to work with to try and create that Conrad Veidt, classic sort of style of image and so everything he did he was kind of sketching in the out-of-focus part of the frame and I think he did a beautiful job here.

Barry Keoghan as Joker in The Batman

Warner Bros. recently hosted a panel at CinemaCon where they shared a number of teases for their upcoming projects. For many, one of the most exciting announcements was The Batman 2 being officially confirmed, with Pattinson and Reeves confirmed to return. Little else was revealed in the way of plot, but with The Batman having teased the Joker's presence within its own universe, many have speculated that Keoghan could be the lead antagonist of the much-anticipated follow-up - though the director himself has said this won't necessarily be the case.

It's certainly interesting that Reeves always intended for Joker to be out of focus in this scene, and to hear what he felt this would ultimately reveal to the audience from a creative standpoint. Many were delighted by Reeves' unique take on a character that has had a rather large presence across cinematic history, with audiences now intrigued to see what the director has in mind for the Joker going forward. While many hope to see Keoghan reprise his role in The Batman 2, it remains to be seen just what the future holds for this terrifying character.

Next: Everything We Know About The Batman 2

Source: Warner Bros./Youtube

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