SPOILER ALERT: Major spoilers for The Batman to follow.

The addition of Eternals star Barry Keoghan to The Batman has been rife with rumors and drama, with the actor quietly cast before being the central subject of two different cuts of the comic book movie. Well, now The Batman has been released, we know the most exciting of those rumors were indeed true, as Keoghan joins the world of DC as the latest iteration of Batman’s arch-enemy, The Joker. With The Batman now in theaters, Barry Keoghan has finally discussed joining the franchise in such a crucial role.

"He's brilliant, man. And Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark especially and together were amazing to me really, really amazing to me. And, you know, getting to be part of the Batman universe is [a huge deal for me]. I'm a fanboy of these movies, and especially the Batman universe. So be to be in that world, I'm still pinching myself. He's a filmmaker I hugely admire as well. And to get to walk alongside him and see how he works, and seeing much like Chloe Zhao, how comfortable he makes you on set, and he gives you the time you need and what you want. I'm in such a blessed position."

Speaking with Esquire Middle East, the actor sounds thrilled to be joining the world of The Batman, heaping praise on the beloved character and director Matt Reeves. While Keoghan only appears in a brief cameo alongside Paul Dano’s Riddler, Keoghan continued to praise, this time aiming it at his co-star.

"Paul is–I'm a huge, huge fan of Paul. He's such a good dude as well. I've watched all of his movies, like Prisoners and stuff like that. People say that we're kind of like as well, and I'm like, are we?"

No doubt that the similarities made between the two actors is a result of their respective penchants for playing sinister, creepy, oddballs. This fact will absolutely come in handy when bringing these new takes on The Riddler and The Joker to life, and clearly shines through in the short time they are shown together in Arkham towards the end of The Batman.

Barry Keoghan’s Joker Will Go Back to the Supervillain’s Roots

Though the Joker is locked away in Arkham and draped in shadow, we do get some idea of what Barry Keoghan will look like in the role. Director Matt Reeves has since revealed that the villain’s latest design will pay homage to the roots of the character. "In the scene that you'll see in the future, you'll see that we worked on what he looked like. And he's held in this very suspenseful way, away from you visually,” Reeves explained. “But I wanted to create an iteration of him that felt distinctive and new, but went right back to the roots. So he's very much out of the Conrad Veidt mold and that idea of the silent film of The Man Who Laughs."

How big a role the Joker will play in The Batman franchise going forward remains to be seen. But with an actor as talented as Barry Keoghan as the Clown Prince of Crime, and with a sequel and several spinoffs planned, audiences should expect to see him again soon. The Batman is out now in theaters.