Barry Keoghan Comments on Returning as the Joker In The Batman Part II

When it comes to The Batman Part II, there are a lot of details about the eagerly anticipated follow up to Matt Reeves’ The Batman that remain elusive, but there is one thing that fans of the DC movie are hoping to see when the movie arrives in October 2026: Barry Keoghan’s The Joker. Keoghan first portrayed the iconic villain, albeit briefly, in the closing moments of that first film, seen chatting with Paul Dano’s Riddler in Arkham. Now, speaking with Variety, Keoghan is addressing a return to the role for the sequel — though he’s keeping things very close to the chest.

“There we go!” Keoghan said when asked about returning for The Batman Part II. “I can’t say much. The camera is looking right at me. We’ll see where that goes. Again, it was an incredible experience … and yeah, I can’t say.”

Keoghan’s answer in this latest interview is very much in keeping with how he’s addressed inquiry about a Joker return in other interviews. Last fall, Keoghan was asked about appearing in the sequel and while he didn’t confirm anything outright, he did admit that it would be “exciting” to the character again.

“I can’t really say anything about that, my man,” Keoghan said. “But it would be exciting, wouldn’t it? To see The Joker come to life again.”

The Penguin is Confirmed to Return For The Batman Part II

While it remains unclear if fans will see Keoghan’s The Joker in The Batman Part II, Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot is set to return. Reeves recently confirmed that Farrell will be in the film as well as noted that he’s finishing the script for the sequel.

“Colin will be part of the movie,” he said. “We’ve shared [the script] as we’ve been going along with DC and the studio and they’re super excited.”

Farrell’s Penguin is going to next appear in HBO’s The Penguin, with the series having been described as an “epic crime saga” which will see Farrell’s villain deal with rivals on his rise to power in Gotham’s criminal underworld — including Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine Falcone. The series is set to debut on Thursday, September 19th at 9 p.m. ET with several re-airs over the weekend. Subsequent new episodes will air on Sunday nights starting on September 29th.

The Penguin is expected to connect to The Batman Part II, something that Reeves recently discussed.

“There are details that actually connect right into the way the next movie begins, and the way that Oz enters the world as we hand the baton back to Batman, and Batman is on another case.”

The Batman Part II is set to open in theaters October 2, 2026.