Barry Keoghan’s Joker Response in New Interview Has ‘The Batman Part II’ Fans Disappointed

Matt Reeves’ DC universe has been quietly building into one of the most anticipated franchises in modern superhero cinema, and with ‘The Batman Part II’ officially in production and locked for an October 1, 2027 release, every new piece of information gets treated like a clue in a Gotham detective case.

The sequel is filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, as well as on location in Liverpool and Glasgow, with director Matt Reeves once again at the helm alongside co-writer Mattson Tomlin. The pressure to top one of the most praised comic book films in years is real, and fans are watching every interview with a magnifying glass.

Barry Keoghan first portrayed the iconic villain, albeit briefly, in the closing moments of ‘The Batman’, seen chatting with Paul Dano’s Riddler in Arkham. That handful of minutes left audiences wanting considerably more, with Keoghan’s scarred and deeply unsettling take on the Clown Prince of Crime standing out as one of the most original reimaginings of the character in years.

Director Matt Reeves envisioned a Joker born with a congenital disease that prevents him from ever stopping his smile, drawing inspiration from the 1928 silent film ‘The Man Who Laughs’ rather than leaning on any prior cinematic version of the character.

Now, during WIRED’s popular Autocomplete Interview series, Keoghan was asked directly whether he would return as the Joker in ‘The Batman Part II’. His response was as cagey as you might expect. “I cannot answer that question truly, sincerely,” the Irish actor said.

“Cannot talk about that.” He also took a moment to clarify the long-running misconception about his earlier scene, insisting it was never entirely erased. “It was deleted from the movie, but it still exists because, you know, it came out after the movie, which I thought was quite a nice moment,” Keoghan explained.

This is far from the first time Keoghan has danced around the question. In an earlier interview with Variety, when asked about the future of his DC villain, the actor smiled and bashfully covered his face before saying he “can’t say much” and adding that it had been “an incredible experience.” The pattern of carefully worded non-answers has become something of its own running storyline for DC fans tracking the sequel’s developments.

What makes the speculation even more charged is everything else happening around ‘The Batman Part II’. The sequel has added Scarlett Johansson to a star-studded supporting cast alongside Colin Farrell returning as Oz Cobb, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. Sebastian Stan, still active in the MCU as Bucky Barnes, is expected to play Harvey Dent, the Gotham district attorney whose dark turn makes him one of Batman’s most iconic foes.

Variety reported that Keoghan is also expected to appear once more as the Joker in the sequel, making his prolonged silence on the matter feel less like denial and more like contractual obligation. The actor has previously revealed in an interview with The New York Times that he has already created a full backstory for his version of the character, describing it as “a totally fresh way of playing him” that he has ready for whenever the call comes.

With ‘The Batman Part II’ now actively shooting and an October 2027 release on the calendar, Keoghan’s every public appearance is going to come with at least one impossible question, and it seems he has gotten very good at not answering it. Let us know in the comments whether you think Barry Keoghan’s Joker should play a central role in ‘The Batman Part II’, or whether you’d rather see Reeves introduce a completely new villain to the fold.