Warner Bros. has reportedly been testing two different versions of The Batman.
According to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision newsletter, sources report that there are two versions of Matt Reeves' The Batman with audiences. One cut of the film reportedly features a certain actor, while the other cuts the actor out entirely. The final test screening has already happened and the studio has selected its preferred version.
This report comes following rumors that Eternals star Barry Keoghan would appear in The Batman as the Joker, though he was officially cast in the film as Gotham City Police Department officer Stanley Merkel in 2020. Keoghan's rumored role as the Clown Prince of Crime led to an enthusiastic reaction from fans on social media, though it has not been officially confirmed by the actor or by Warner Bros.
Though the rumors of Keoghan's villainous role in the film remain rumors for now, the official synopsis for The Batman did allude to another villain in the film besides Paul Dano's Edward Nashton/The Riddler, who was featured in the film's trailer. After mentioning the other villains who have been confirmed to appear in the film, the synopsis itself references an unnamed "killer" targeting Gotham's elites, with no other indication of who that character could be.
In March 2021, Director Matt Reeves announced that filming on The Batman had officially wrapped after significant delays in production due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which caused the release date to be pushed back almost a year. A trailer was released during DC FanDome, which showcases the film's grittier approach to the Dark Knight, pitting the titular hero against Dano's The Riddler.
The Batman has been described as a neo-noir crime thriller that follows a younger Bruce Wayne who is only in his second year of vigilantism. A sequel or a potential continuation of the franchise has not been confirmed, but the cast has routinely praised Reeves' script, with Dano describing it as "potentially really powerful" and Colin Farrell, who portrays Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin in the film, calling it "a really beautiful, dark, moving script."
While it has been rumored that the film was entirely separate from the DCEU, it was recently reported that the story takes place in DC's Earth-2. Fellow upcoming DC blockbuster The Flash will explore the concept of a cinematic multiverse and will utilize multiple universes to include both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton's versions of Batman. On top of that, a series based on the Gotham City Police Department, which will take place in the same universe as The Batman, is set to be released through HBO Max.
The Batman arrives in theaters on March 4, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter