Already set to appear in Marvel Studios' upcoming Eternals film, actor Barry Keoghan has reportedly also been cast in Matt Reeves' upcoing DC picture The Batman.
According to Heroic Hollywood -- which cites a press release from Warner Bros. -- Keoghan will portray a Gotham City Police Department officer named Stanley Merkel. It is unclear how large a role Keoghan's character would play, or if he will appear in the upcoming The Batman prequel HBO Max series from Matt Reeves and Terrence Winter.
Debuting in 1987's Batman #405, Stanley Merkel appears in DC Comics as James Gordon' partner. However, it is unclear what kind of relationship Keoghan's Stanley Merkel will have with Gordon in The Batman. Meanwhile, The Batman's first official trailer was released at the recent virtual event, DC FanDome, and hinted at the style and tone fans can expect from the upcoming film. The trailer also introduced a few key characters, including Jeffery Wright's Gordon, Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman/Selina Kyle and Colin Farrell's Penguin.
Keoghan is a longtime actor that has appeared in a number of films, including Trespass Against Us, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dunkirk and American Animals. In Eternals, Keoghan will play a super-powered member of the titular group named Druig. He was also originally tapped to play the lead role of Yorick Brown on FX's television adaptation of Vertigo Comics' Y: The Last Man, but ultimately had to back out of the project after shooting the pilot.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves and co-written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone and Peter Sarsgaard as District Attorney Gil Colson. The Batman is set to be released in theaters on Oct. 1, 2021.