The Batman’s marketing campaign is ramping up as we head into the last six weeks before the movie arrives in cinemas after a long delay. Actor Colin Farrell becomes the latest star to take on the role of The Penguin in the movie, and in a recent interview he discussed exactly who Matt Reeves used as a point of reference for the emotional side of the character of Oswald Cobblepot. Speaking to MovieMaker, Farrell explained how the character of Fredo from The Godfather, while not linked to his thoughts in performing the role, certainly fit with Reeves’ plans for the penguin.
"There's a certain amount of brokenness in Oz that, I think, as a reference, not for me performance-wise, but just emotionally, as a reference for Matt – I think Fredo from The Godfather was a bit of a reference," Farrell said. "Matt was just talking about somebody who had very real and very lofty ambitions, but never really had the opportunity or the chance to explore them, and was maybe looked upon as someone who was handicapped, whether it was psychologically, intellectually – Fredo was frowned upon as less than the other brothers, and maybe Oz as well, in his life, was looked upon as somebody who wasn't capable. And so that's one of the things that fuels Oz."
There has been a lot of speculation about Farrell’s role in the movie, which has today been confirmed as having the longest runtime of any Batman movie at just under three hours. While Farrell himself has previously said that the character is not a main part in the movie, there is clearly going to be enough of The Penguin featured that fans will want to tune into the follow-up series on HBO Max centering on the Gotham criminal.
Colin Farrell Says The Batman Is “Incredibly Original” And He Is Excited To Be Part Of It
Warner Bros. have been upping the ante on their comic book output recently, and it looks like The Batman is going to be a significant source of many projects to come in the near future. The Batman is already expected to lead to at least two sequels, mirroring the trilogy completed by Christopher Nolan with his Dark Knight movies, and on top of that there is already a spin-off series in development based on Farrell’s Penguin as well as another show focusing on the Gotham PD.
Colin Farrell previous told SFX Magazine about how much he sees this new movie as a completely fresh take on the world of Batman that he is excited to be part of. He said, "I have been watching the Batman films with my kids, but this script is something that feels incredibly original," Farrell said. "It leans into it, but it doesn't borrow; it's born of the mythology of that character, Bruce Wayne, Batman, and Gotham. But it feels like a treatment and a version that I hadn't seen before. Matt Reeves has done an incredible job of keeping it familiar and, at the same time, unique and new. It's really exciting to be a part of it."