While Spider-Man: No Way Home may hold the comic book spotlight for the time being, many viewers are eagerly anticipating Matt Reeves's upcoming The Batman. Robert Pattinson will be the latest actor to don the cape and cowl, with the film capturing the Dark Knight in his early days as the hero. And with just about three months away from release, several sources are reporting that Warner Bros. is testing two cuts of The Batman, with one cut containing a major actor that has yet to be revealed.
It should go without saying that this needs to be taken with a big, big grain of salt. Here is what The Hollywood Reporter had to say on this matter:
"Last month, the Internet went a little crazy about Barry Keoghan maybe, maybe not, playing the Joker in Matt Reeves's upcoming The Batman. Don't look to us for answers on that one. But we can tell you this: Multiple sources tell us that Warner Bros. has been testing two different cuts of "The Batman," one with a certain actor, one without. And the final test screening occurred last week, with the decision now made as to which version the studio likes, says one source.
Testing out cuts with studios is nothing new, nor something to be concerned over. Several beloved films, from Jaws to Toy Story, have been deeply edited and re-worked following test screenings with studios. Yet with The Batman, it appears that the major difference appears to be the inclusion of a certain actor. Whoever that actor is, and whatever character he/she is playing, is anyone's best guess. Most minds would go to this character being a villain, though The Batman will certainly not have a shortness of that with appearances by The Riddler (Paul Dano), Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), and The Penguin (Colin Farrell).
As The Hollywood Reporter noted, there is no evidence to support Keoghan as playing the Joker, though the Internet has run rampant with these rumors. All that is known for now is that he is playing Gotham City Police Department officer Stanley Merkel. Comic book films have certainly taken some liberties in the past, though there is no DC Comics evidence of Merkel becoming the Joker, or any other Batman villain for that matter.
The Batman will also star Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, and Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson. Reeves also wrote the film alongside Peter Craig (Top Gun: Maverick, The Town).
The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022.