Barry Keoghan’s brief performance as the Joker in The Batman is something fans still think about. Even though he was barely there in the movie, and fans only got a closer look after a deleted clip started making the rounds online- his portrayal did intrigue fans. Ever since, there has been plenty of curiosity among DC fans about whether they will ever see a full-fledged Joker portrayal by Barry Keoghan, who came across as scarier and creepier than any Joker before him. And now, James Gunn has finally cleared the air once and for all. 

Amid the rumors flying around about Keoghan's Joker role, James Gunn has shut down all the chatter- leaving no room for any more doubt.

James Gunn, ever since he took the reins at DCU, has been keeping it real with his fans on social media. He regularly interacts with them to shoot down rumors. And he is at it again. The DC Studios big boss took to Instagram Threads on Friday to debunk rumors of a spinoff Joker series based on Matt Reeves' The Batman, which Keoghan was rumored to be a part of. “No there is absolutely no truth to this,” said Gunn. He added, “A Joker series is not being discussed nor has even come up at this time”. 

The latest batch of rumors got its start on the Marvelvision podcast, hosted by film blogger Derek Faraci and former critic Devin Faraci, where it was claimed that Warner Bros. is cooking up future plans for the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan, including a potential Joker-centric spinoff series. This series would have supposedly led up to a major Joker appearance in the third The Batman movie. Nonetheless, even after Gunn's statement, there is still room for hope, especially given Keoghan's earlier hints about his Joker's return.

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Keoghan played it coy when asked about reprising his role as Joker earlier this year- like he did recently with his dating rumors as well.

Barry Keoghan has been rumored to be reprising his role as Joker in Matt Reeves' The Batman II for a while now. But neither the studio nor the actor has confirmed it yet. However, in an interview with Variety, Keoghan refused to deny the rumors either. “I can’t say much. The camera is looking right at me,” said the 32-year-old. He added, “We’ll see where that goes”. 

Meanwhile, Matt Reeves has only confirmed the return of Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader and Colin Farrell as the Penguin, fresh from his HBO spinoff series, in The Batman II. And while James Gunn has dismissed rumors of a spinoff Joker series, he has not ruled out Keoghan's potential return as the Joker in The Batman II. And therefore, the chances of Keoghan reprising his role in the DCU are still very much alive. 

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What do you think about James Gunn’s clarification on Barry Keoghan’s Joker series rumors? Let us know in the comments below!