The DC live-action universe is a fascinating places, always able to catch fans by surprise with each new announcement. One such project that has been especially effective at this is Matt Reeves' The Batman, which sat in development hell for a number of years before the Planet of the Apes director started assembling its cast and crew. After casting Robert Pattinson at Batman, Reeves started filling out the supporting cast, including the trio of villains that will be facing off against the Dark Knight. And now it looks like he may have found his Penguin.
A variety of actors have been considered or roles in The Batman, including Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen. While Paul Dano and Zoe Kravitz will be playing The Riddler and Catwoman respectively, Penguin had long been rumored to be a major antagonist of the developing blockbuster. And now a major name is reportedly in talks to play Oswald Cobblepot: Colin Farrell.
This news comes to us from Deadline, and is thus far unconfirmed by the studio of anyone from Colin Farrell's camp. Still, it's an exciting update for The Batman, and further shows how Matt Reeves has his eye on A-List talent to populate the DCEU's Gotham City. Farrell is potentially joining a killer cast that's made up of Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Zoe Kravitz and (most recently) Andy Serkis. Serkis was recently revealed to be in talks to play Alfred Pennyworth, in a stage similar to Farrell's current status with the blockbuster.
Colin Farrell might not be the first name that DC fans associate with potentially playing The Penguin, mostly due to his physicality. In the comics (which you can pick up here), Oswald Cobblepot is typically quite short and stout. While he's not a physical threat to Batman, he's got a ton of trick umbrellas and usually a gang full of armed guards. By comparison, Farrell stands at 5'10, and has spent his time as an international sex symbol. As such, he's got quite the different background from the character on the page.
Then again, the most recent live-action version of Penguin didn't share the same body type as the likes of Danny DeVito in Batman Returns. Rob Lord Taylor played Penguin for a whopping 100 episodes of Gotham. Taylor stood at 5'6, and found his own physicality for the iconic comic book character. Farrell has had a long tenure as an actor, so he's got the chops to find his own version of Penguin.
Related: The Batman’s Robert Pattinson Reveals His Comic Book Research
Of course, it's important to remember that there is no guarantee that Colin Farrell will actually join the cast of The Batman. Jonah Hill famously was in talks to play a villain himself. But Hill couldn't meet an agreement with the studio, and passed on the chance to play one of Batman's rogues.
The Batman is currently set to arrive in theaters on June 25th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
