Matt Reeves Talks About A Certain Batman Deleted Scene With A Certain Character
Maybe you've heard rumors about a particular character appearing in "The Batman." Maybe you've heard about a deleted scene. But if you haven't seen the film, I implore you to go away and come back later, because there are spoilers ahead.
There is a scene towards the end of "The Batman" that would have worked just as well as an after-credits scene. In it, Paul Dano's Riddler is in Arkham Asylum, howling and upset because the man he admired and wanted as a friend didn't get him. He was inspired by the Batman, and was hoping they could watch the world burn together. The rejection hurts him, and in his pain, he encounters another character in the cell next to him. This new person talks about people raining on Riddler's parade, then says, "One day you're on top, the next you're a clown. Well, let me tell you, there are worse things to be. Don't be sad. You did so well, and you know Gotham loves a comeback story." Through a riddle, he explains that he's a friend, and the two laugh together.
You know who we're talking about here. It's Barry Keoghan, and though he never says his name, the clown line and that cackle make it pretty obvious who he is.
I want this deleted scene in my eyeballs now
You've come this far. You know we're talking about the Joker. Well, it turns out this wasn't supposed to be the only scene with him. Director Matt Reeves told Collider Keoghan was going to appear in another scene.
"There is a scene that I would love the audience to see that I didn't put in. Not because anyone asked me to cut it, but because I didn't think that within the larger narrative it worked, that it was necessary. But it's a really cool scene with that same unseen prisoner in Arkham. There was an earlier scene where Batman, because he's getting these cards and letters from the Riddler, and he's thinking, 'Why is this guy writing to me? I'm supposed to be anonymous and he's putting a lens on me. I don't like that,' and so he goes to kind of profile this kind of serial killer.
"And you see him meeting with somebody who is obviously a serial killer himself, who, because it's not Batman's origin, but it is the origins of all these other characters, you're seeing a version of this character who, yes, when you see the unknown prisoner, you're like, 'Well, gee, I think that's who that is.' Well, that is who that is, but he's not yet that character."
I like this a lot. It's hard to do the Joker well, and comparing a new version to the late Heath Ledger's performance ... well, you saw the reaction Jared Leto's version received. Seeing the character early on before he becomes the actual Joker gives a lot of room for a different sort of performance. I would like to see what Keoghan does with an early version of the character. Sequel, please!