Eternals star Barry Keoghan's role in Matt Reeves' The Batman has been revealed, putting speculation over who the actor will be playing to rest. The actor stars in Reeves' new approach to the Dark Knight alongside Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, and Andy Serkis. Reeves and Pattinson's The Batman will debut on the big screen on March 4, 2022.
Though Keoghan made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as the immortal cosmic being with telepathic gifts and a complex view of humanity as Druig in Chloé Zhao's Eternals in 2021, the star is set to trade superpowered spacefaring heroism for the gritty streets of Gotham City. Keoghan is set to star in Reeves and Pattinson's new approach to the Caped Crusader, which puts the young hero against Dano's Riddler and the corruption that has spread into every corner of the city. Though Keoghan's role was mostly unknown, fans speculated he may play the Joker in a role that could be expanded in later installments. After many fan renders and speculations, the star's role has finally been uncovered.
As seen in The Batman's credits that have recently been released by Warner Bros. Pictures, the entire cast and crew of the upcoming film credited for their work on the film have been revealed, including Keoghan. Keoghan's character is named as an "Unseen Arkham Prisoner," seemingly putting to rest any rumors that Keoghan will be playing the Clown Prince of Crime on screen for now. The credit does however seemingly confirm that the infamous correctional facility where Batman imprisons many villains from his rogue's gallery will appear in some form in the upcoming movie and Reeves's ever-growing Batman continuity.
Though Keoghan's role may not be the DC villain many had anticipated, it does raise a few questions considering his role. Keoghan's casting was first discovered in 2020 following the release of the first teaser trailer. In the description for the teaser trailer released at DC Fandome 2020, Keoghan is credited as playing Stanley Merkel of the Gotham City Police Department, Gordon's (Wright) partner in the force and a figure seen in comics depicting Batman's early days of fighting such as Batman: Year One. The actor's role wasn't elaborated on in further pieces of promotion beyond a social media post by the actor, which featured a photo of the actor in a crew jacket for the film.
While The Batman seeks to build a new world for DC's hero, the character is still in his early days, meaning many of his iconic foes have yet to debut. While Reeves has ambitions for future familiar faces appearing down the line, it appears that Keoghan will not be playing Batman's greatest foe anytime soon. It's possible his character's introduction in The Batman could be a tease for a role further down the line and there's no telling if the "unseen Arkham prisoner" is actually some early form of Joker. While the actor won't be playing the Joker in the 2022 movie, his character's hidden nature and Keoghan's openness about the film may set him up to be a major player in Reeves' Batman universe down the line, laying the seeds for a greater threat for Pattinson's Batman.
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
