Warning: The Batman spoilers ahead.
Barry Keoghan may have become The Batman’s Joker, but that process began with the recording of an unsolicited audition to be Enigma. The video has been on the Internet for years, but hardly anyone had seen it before.
As detailed in a new GQ profile, Keoghan learned of The Batman’s existence and recorded an unsolicited audition tape to take on the role of Enigma. He met producer Dylan Clark and, despite the role being filled by Jonah Hill, who was later replaced by Paul Dano, he asked him to watch the video. four months later, he was offered a small secret role as a new version of Joker.
The recording has been on Keoghan’s own Vimeo channel for three years, but at the time of writing it has less than 3,000 views and only 2 comments. We can’t embed the video here, but we’ve placed screenshots in a gallery below:
The video, which only appears with the title “Directed by Barry Keoghan”, shows a very different view of the Enigma more deranged and street that we saw in the film. Keoghan is dressed in black formal wear, green suspenders, complete with a cane, a bowler hat, and heavy eye makeup. To the tune of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre,” he emerges from what appears to be a hotel elevator, wordlessly stalking through the corridors in exaggerated style, before turning a corner and reappearing, smiling with a handprint. bloodied in the face.
It’s a fascinating look at Keoghan’s own take on the character, and all the more fascinating for having been hidden from view for so long. In the end, The Batman teased a future appearance of the Joker, played by Keoghan, which was later shown more clearly in a deleted scene. Director Matt Reeves also gave us a rundown of his vision for his character.
You can read our review of The Batman here, where we say that the “violent, exciting and darkly beautiful take on The Batman more than justifies its place in the franchise canon.” A sequel has been planned, but it’s not greenlit yet, and Keoghan himself is waiting for the call to return as Joker.
