This past weekend’s DC FanDome was a packed event, with Matt Reeves’ The Batman wrapping the whole thing up and premiering its first trailer. Even with the Caped Crusader’s next movie having only shot 25% of its footage, there was a lot to take in, including our first look at Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin… or at least, that’s what a lot of fans thought online.
Given how unrecognizable he looks, one wouldn’t be faulted for being skeptical about if that truly is Colin Farrell in the shot or someone else. However, we finally have official confirmation that this is indeed the man who once brought Bullseye to life in Daredevil from Mike Marino, a prosthetic makeup designer who worked on The Batman and included #colinfarrell in his Instagram post that shared screenshots of Farrell in Penguin mode.
In case that isn’t enough clarification for you, when a fan repeatedly doubted that was Colin Farrell in The Batman trailer, Mike Marino eventually bluntly answered:
we BUILT THIS
Look, folks, it doesn’t get more concrete than this. We did get our first look at Colin Farrell as The Penguin in The Batman trailer, and frankly, the fact that so many people didn’t realize this after watching the preview is a testament to the amazing makeup work done on him. If you were among the folks who questioned whether he was a good fit to play Penguin, hopefully this alleviated your concerns a little bit.
That said, we still don’t know the full scope of what Penguin-related goodies Colin Farrell is bringing to The Batman’s table. Aside from the above screenshot, the only other time we see him in the trailer is when he’s driving away and exclaiming, “Whoa, this guy’s crazy!” Again, The Batman still has a lot of filming to get done, so it’s possible the majority of Farrell’s scenes aren’t done yet. The Batman kicked off principal photography in January, but had to press pause in March due to the current health crisis. Cameras are expected to start rolling again in September.
During The Batman’s portion of DC FanDome, Matt Reeves confirmed that the movie its set during the eponymous protagonist’s second year of crimefighting; so his origin story is out of the way, but he’s still getting the hang of effectively dealing with criminals in Gotham City. At this point in time, Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot is a rising crime lord who doesn’t care for the Penguin nickname, so he’s still a little ways off from becoming the true Penguin who’s a formidable adversary for Bruce Wayne’s costumed persona.
On the extremely slim chance you haven’t seen The Batman trailer, watch it below.
Along with Penguin, The Batman’s rogues lineup includes Paul Dano’s Riddler (who serves as the main antagonist), Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman and John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone. The cast also boasts Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson and Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál. In addition to directing, Matt Reeves also co-wrote The Batman’s script with Mattson Tomlin.
The Batman cast its shadow in theater on October 1, 2021, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates. Look through our DC movies guide to discover what else this corner of the superhero movie market has on the way.
