Colin Farrell describes The Penguin as an “incredibly violent” spinoff of Matt Reeves’ The Batman

Last Updated on March 26, 2024

Wak! Wak! Fans who wanted Matt Reeves’ The Batman to lean into the violence of Gotham City could be in for a treat when The Penguin arrives on Max. The spinoff series, starring Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, could find the classic villain breaking more than bones as he continues to waddle toward the top of Gotham’s criminal food chain. Speaking with MovieZine, Farrell said The Penguin is gnarlier than Reeves’ PG-13 Batman film and should be considered “incredibly violent.”

“It was a long and really wonderful experience,” Farrell said about filming The Penguin series. “It’s dark; that’s what I can tell you about it. It’s really dark. It’s really heavy, I think— it certainly was doing it. Which is not to say I didn’t have fun, I had an amazing time doing it. It’s incredibly violent. It’s one man’s rise to what he’s always dreamed of inhabiting, which is a certain power or social status.”

“The death of Carmine Falcone at the end of [‘The Batman’] leaves this vacuum in Gotham to be filled, and so there are various people that are grabbing for that power,” Farrell added. “This is Oswald’s journey trying to rise to the top through extraordinary obstacles.”

Colin Farrell has also indicated that the film will serve as an origin story for the Penguin, something we have seen twice on screen before in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, played by Danny DeVito. and in Fox’s prequel series Gotham portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor. While the term “origin” does not necessarily mean we will get flashbacks to Cobblepot’s childhood, the series may go back that far. Farrel’s comments have stated that The Penguin will explore the character’s “awkwardness, and his strength, and his villainy” and the “heartbroken man inside there.”

Much of the cast of The Penguin has been announced, but not who they will be playing. Alongside Farrell, we do know that Cristin Milioti will portray Sofia Falcone, daughter of the late Carmine Falcone. Michael Zegen will play Alberto Falcone, Sofia’s brother. Clancy Brown, the fan favorite star of everything from The Shawshank Redemption to a recent appearance on The Boys spin-off Gen V, will play Salvatore Maroni, a rival gangster Carmine Falcone informed on. Maroni was previously played by Dennis Paladino in Batman Returns, David Zayas in Gotham, and Eric Roberts in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It is worth noting that Maroni and Falcone have a close connection to Harvey Dent (aka Two Face), so it is possible we may see an expansion of characters in this version of the DC universe. Other cast members include Michael Kelly as Johnny Vitti, underboss of the Falcone crime family, as well as undisclosed characters for Rhenzy Feliz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dierdre O’Connell, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Theo Rossi, Carmen Ejogo, Francois Chau, David H. Holmes, Craig Walker, and Jared Abrahamson.

What do you think about The Penguin being an ultra-violent installment of Reeves’ The Batman story? What other villains would you like Reeves to introduce in his version of the DC Universe? I would lose my sh*t if Reeves announced a Clayface creature feature, a mind-bending portrayal of Jervis Tetch (Mad Hatter), or a terrifying interpretation of the Ventriloquist and Scarface. Let’s see your suggestions in the comments section below.