» The Batman » ends with a scene that could almost be a kind of post-credits scene: After Batman (Robert Pattinson) thwarted the Riddler’s (Paul Dano) plans, the latter has hit rock bottom and is in despair in his cell at Arkham Asylum. But then his cell neighbor speaks to him: the Joker ( Barry Keoghan ).
In an interview, «The Batman» director Matt Reeves explained at the start of the cinema that this last scene should not be a preview of «The Batman 2» , but merely the conclusion of Riddler’s character development. And he also revealed that there was another scene with Barry Keoghan as the Joker — and now it’s officially released.
You can watch the scene in the video embedded above. In it, Batman visits the Joker in Arkham because he hopes he will help him find the Riddler. This situation is a bit reminiscent of » The Silence of the Lambs «, where the imprisoned cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) is hired to help the FBI find another killer.
A completely different joker
«The Joker really upsets Batman,» Reeves described the scene to us in an interview — and that’s actually true: The Joker sees through the Riddler’s motivation pretty quickly, but prefers to talk about his favorite enemy Batman, whom he confronted with some uncomfortably accurate observations.
As in the final scene in the theatrical version, the joker can never be seen properly in the cut scene either, but sometimes partially and sometimes blurred. Nevertheless, this impression is enough to state:
Barry Keoghan’s scarred and disfigured Joker seems like a very different interpretation than the anarchic Joker from The Dark Knight ( Heath Ledger ), the crime boss from Suicide Squad ( Jared Leto ) or the tragic clown from Joker ( Joaquin phoenix ).
The inspiration for Barry Keoghan’s Joker
Matt Reeves revealed to Variety that he didn’t want to fully reveal the Joker just yet because it’s not 100 percent the Joker as seen in the comics. And while the exact look is never revealed, the figure’s appearance has been detailed nonetheless.
Incidentally, the inspiration for the Joker is the character that served as the template for the comic Joker: Conrad Veidt ‘s Gwynplaine from » The Man Who Laughs » from 1928. And instead of mysterious scars on the corners of the mouth or a vat full of chemicals, the Origin Story of this Joker a congenital disease, because of which he can not stop laughing.
«The Batman» has been in German cinemas since March 3, 2022.
The Batman: How can it continue in part 2? (FILMSTARTS Original)
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