According to Deadline, James Gunn (Creature Commandos, Peacemaker) has shut down the rumors that a possible Joker series will be produced. Over the last few days, fans have been spreading news of a Joker series starring Barry Keoghan (The Green Knight, Bring Them Down). Gunn took to social media to fully stop the rumors from spreading further on a possible spinoff based on Matt Reeves’ (Let Me In, The Penguin) The Batman.
“Turn on threads and everyone is asking me about this. No there is absolutely no truth to this. A Joker series is not being discussed nor has even come up at this time,” Gunn shared on Threads.
Below is the full post by Gunn.
View on Threads
As per Deadline, Keoghan made a quick cameo as the Joker in 2022, The Batman and then eventually, a deleted scene surfaced showcasing the actor’s work on the character. In the scene, Keoghan shares the screen with Robert Pattinson (The Boy and the Heron, The Devil All the Time), who plays Batman in the film. When the film came out, Keoghan opened up about how he originally auditioned to play The Riddler instead of The Joker.
“I wanted to be Riddler,” Keoghan told GQ UK.
Unfortunately, after meeting with producer Dylan Clark (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Keoghan found out that the role had been filled by Jonah Hill (Superbad), which later would be taken by Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood). After a few months, he received a call from his agent saying, “The Batman wants you to play the Joker — but you cannot tell anyone.
Keoghan said that his Joker was “a bit charming and a bit hurt” and a “broken-down boy,” adding, “I wanted some sort of human in there behind the makeup. I want people to relate to him…to know this is a façade he puts on.”
Below is the deleted scene from The Batman.