The Batman: Barry Keoghan's Joker Makeup Transformation Sounds Like A Nightmare

Barry Keoghan didn't have a massive role in "The Batman," but his brief cameo as the Joker teased a future of interesting possibilities for the franchise. However, while the actor jumped at the chance to play the Clown Prince of Crime, he wasn't the biggest fan of having to look the part.

Speaking to GQ in a recent interview, Keoghan revealed that Michael Marino's makeup design took six hours to apply to his face. The actor struggled to sit still throughout the process, but it was made worse when production was shut down as he was close to completion. "I remember we were around five hours in, and then someone came in and went, 'We're shutting production down, there's COVID.' I was like, 'Huh? Really? What? What happened?' There was this steel thing that went [into my cheek], that was like slicing in. I was like, I'm really going to be left with a scar here."

Keoghan added that he got into the Arkham mindset by looking at photos of old mental institutions. This was also a haunting experience for the actor, who recalled one image that impacted him deeply. "It was spray paint of an old asylum room, and it said, 'Hell was more fun.'" This makes the entire Joker experience sound somewhat unappealing, but Keoghan is still keen to reprise the role in "The Batman 2."

"The Batman 2" is in the early stages of development, and details about the film are being kept under wraps. That said, many fans expect the Joker to be the Dark Knight's main opponent in the sequel, and Barry Keoghan has only added more fire to the speculation.

In an interview with Etalk, Keoghan teased another outing as Gotham's villainous clown, but he didn't spill all of the beans. "I can't really say anything about that, my man, but it would be exciting, wouldn't it?" the actor said. "To see the Joker come to life again. My smile says it all."

Keoghan's tease is exciting, but some fans are worried about "The Batman 2" following an update from James Gunn. The DC Studios head revealed that he hasn't read a script yet, meaning it's possible that the film, scheduled for a 2025 release, could be delayed. Director Matt Reeves told IGN in 2022 that he was unsure if Joker would be in the sequel, noting that the version we see in the first film is a younger iteration of the character. Hush is also rumored to be the big bad in "The Batman 2," so any potential involvement from the Clown Prince of Crime might be peripheral — until he's ready to take over Gotham down the line, that is.