A Familiar DC Villain Joins The Batman Part II Cast

Remember that slow, unsettling smile in Arkham as the credits rolled on The Batman? If recent industry whispers are right, Gotham’s next act will give that smile a lot more screen time.

Matt Reeves’ 2022 reinvention of the Caped Crusader did something rare: it married blockbuster muscle with an arthouse mood, and audiences rewarded it — the film grossed roughly $772 million worldwide. Audiences wanted more. Studios listened. The Penguin spin-off proved there’s appetite for stories born from this darker, rain-soaked corner of the DC map, and now the cameras are reportedly rolling toward a full sequel.

According to a report from Box Office Pro France, Warner Bros. floated The Batman Part II during a Studio Show presentation, and names were dropped: Robert Pattinson is expected to return, joined by Sebastian Stan and Scarlett Johansson. But the headline-grabber is Barry Keoghan — the actor who delivered that brief, unmistakable Joker cameo in the first film.

Barry Keoghan’s Joker is reportedly set to return in The Batman Part II, though Warner Bros. has not issued an official confirmation.

Keoghan’s appearance in 2022 was brief but memorable. Credited cryptically as an Arkham inmate, his voice and visage were enough for fans to piece together the implication: the Joker exists in this world and he has already crossed paths, in some fashion, with Paul Dano’s Riddler. That ambiguity sparked endless theories. That ambiguity now becomes opportunity.

Sequels are always a negotiation between expectation and surprise. Bring back a character like the Joker and you invite comparison, scrutiny, and curiosity in equal measure. Add familiar faces from the first film and fresh blood like Sebastian Stan and Scarlett Johansson, and you have a recipe that could stretch both storytelling ambition and box-office reach.

The studio has penciled in October 1, 2027 for the theatrical release. Plenty can change between now and then. Casting, creative direction, even the tonal compass of the sequel — all remain open. But one thing feels certain: Reeves’ vision opened a doorway to more stories in a Gotham that’s as grounded as it is mythic.

Will the Joker return as a whisper in the wings or as the central storm ripping through the sequel? For now, that question alone is reason enough to keep watching.