***Warning the following article features spoilers for “The Batman.” ***
Warner Bros.’ “The Batman” is a certified hit. It opened to $128 million domestically—the second-highest opening since 2019 when the pandemic started— and it grossed nearly $120 million internationally for a worldwide total that currently stands at $248 million. Not too bad for a three-hour movie that’s aimed at adults and doesn’t have the ability to draw in the four-quadrant family crowd.
Of course, even before it made bank, a sequel to “The Batman” is already in the early development stages by director Matt Reeves. Fans are already trying to figure out who the next villain in a second installment could be, but it looks like the one everyone assumed was being set up for the next pic, with a cameo, isn’t intended to be sequel-bait. **Spoilers ahead again, last warning**
While Reeves mentioned to Variety that Irish actor Barry Keoghan was indeed playing The Joker, he was equally quick to downplay that his inclusion means he’ll return in the sequel or any future films for that matter. Reeves suggested that the cameo simply might be a one-off and that the Joker might never appear again.
“It’s not an Easter egg scene. It’s not one of those end credits Marvel or DC scenes where it’s going, like, ‘Hey, here’s the next movie!’ In fact, I have no idea when or if we would return to that character in the movies,” the director said of his use of the Joker.
Reeves likened having established Batman rogues running around Gotham to the classic gangster films from back in the day. Giving the impression that villains might just show up in random scenes and not have a grand part to play in the story at hand, The Joker for example.
“I thought it’d be really neat if so much of the fabric of Gotham just already existed. And it was like an old Warner Bros. gangster movie and if you took a certain turn, you might see a character in his origins,” Reeves said of his approach to Gotham’s villains.
Speaking of villains, Reeves answered fan questions for Twitter Movies and revealed that he might be interested in bringing the obscure villain Dr. Thomas Elliot, aka Hush, to his cinematic universe, although making it clear he won’t necessarily be the next villain they use. Hush happens to be a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne in the comics and was co-created by the former head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb.
“I think Hush is a really interesting one to do; I’ll choose Hush,” he said, naming a Batman character he likes. “That doesn’t mean the next [villain in the next movie] will be Hush.”
Reeves’ comments come after the filmmaker teased, potentially wanting to use a “grounded” Mr. Freeze. Given the positive, sometimes glowing, audience reactions to the film, they’ll likely be on board for whomever Reeves ultimately chooses as the next threat for Bruce Wayne to face in follow-up installments.