The Batmanspinoff series focusing onColin Farrell’s iteration of Penguin is one of the two series currently in development with Warner Bros. and coming to HBO Max in the future. As is to be expected, there is not a lot of information currently available on the new series other thanFarrell will be reprising his role as the would-be crime boss of Gotham. Just prior toThe Batman’s London premiere last night, Farrell chatted toETabout creating his new version of the iconic comic book villain and how he believes the series will delve deeper into the character before any previous movie.
The character of Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot made his first appearance in 1941 and has gone on to be one of Batman’s best-known antagonists. Generally, Oswald, who is most often referenced as his alias the Penguin due to his squat, waddling appearance and birdlike features, uses weaponized umbrellas in his crimes, which originally included art theft and underground gambling organizations. Having been portrayed in his most comic book faithful appearance by Burgess Meredith in the 60s TV series, a darker and more vicious version of the character was played by Danny DeVito inBatman Returns, where he was more bird-like, eating raw fish and living in an iced lair. Most recently, Penguin appeared in the TV seriesGotham, where he was played as a small-time crook with big gangster aspirations by Robin Lord Taylor.
Colin Farrell will follow in a similar vein to theGothamversion of the character, only without having the sniveling air of submission about him. While his time is limited inThe Batman, despite the movie’s huge 175 minute run time, the character will make enough of an impact to make audiences more interested in learning where he came from and what makes him tick. Farrell said:
“We have to get into what made him the man he is. And also, it will pick up where this film finished off I think. I think it’ll pick up a little short time after the last frame of this film. We’ll get to go on a little kind of left turn off to the world of Oz and how he’s beginning to kind of dream of filling a potential power vacuum that may exist.”
Related:Colin Farrell’s Penguin Wasn’t Allowed to Smoke in The Batman
The Batman Will Be More Grounded Than Any Other Movie in The Franchise, and The Spin-Off Series Will Continue This Tone
While Farrell admitted that the team is still “early in the process of creating this world”, there are certainly plenty of signs to success that the world ofThe Batmanis going to be even more grounded and dark than Chris Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy, which abandoned the comic book style of the previous movies and brought a brutal Batman to screens. Farrell continued to explain that Penguin is a character of many levels to be explored.
“It’s a lovely, lovely character, and explores vulnerabilities,” he said. “His violence is apparent, his propensity for violence and his ability to use it as a tool is apparent, but [also] to see we all have soft spots. Every single person. And to be able to find that location, dig around it would be fun.”
Farrell will make his debut as Penguin alongside Robert Pattinson, Paul Dano, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright and John Turturro inThe Batman, which goes on general release from March 4.
