Colin Farrell describes new Batman spin-off ‘The Penguin’ as “incredibly violent”
Irish actor Colin Farrell has discussed the upcoming Batman spin-off television series The Penguin, in which he undertook a dramatic transformation to play Oswald Cobblepot.
An exact release date for the highly-anticipated eight-part series is yet to be announced. However, The Penguin is expected to land on the streaming service, Max, before the end of 2024, and is forecast to be one of this year’s most-talked-about television moments.
In addition to Farrell portraying the lead role in The Penguin, Cristin Milioti will act as Sofia Falcone, Rhenzy Feliz is set to play Victor Aguilar and Miles Humphries will also appear as Dom Gigante.
Work has officially finished on shooting the upcoming series, according to Farrell. Now, the finishing touches to the programme are being assembled before it arrives on screens, and a teaser trailer has arrived to give fans their first look at The Penguin.
In the clip, Cobblepot says in the narration: “When I was a kid, there was a gangster, real old-school type. Rex Calabrese. He was a big deal. He helped people. He saw you on the street, he’d call out to you.”
Farrell’s character continues: “When I was 14 or something, he has a heart attack and dies, still holding a cigar. In my neighbourhood, they throw a parade in his honour. A frigging parade. It wasn’t fancy, but it was a gesture, a show of love, of what he meant. Can you imagine to be remembered like that?”
Additionally, The Banshees of Inisherin actor who was first cast in The Penguin back in 2019 has now lifted the lid on the process of shooting the series and provided an insight into what viewers should expect when it does finally arrive later this year.
During a new interview with MovieZine, Farrell stated: “We wrapped it, man. We did it. Stuck a fork in it two weeks ago, and it was a long and really wonderful experience. And it’s dark, that’s what I can tell you about it. It’s really dark, and really heavy, I think, certainly it was doing it. Which is not to say I didn’t have fun. I had an amazing time. But it’s incredibly violent.”
In further detail about the storyline, which plays out across the eight episodes in Gotham City, Farrell claims it follows “one man’s rise to what he’s always dreamed of inhabiting, which is a certain power or social status.”
Providing context to the background to The Penguin (spoilers ahead), Farrell added: “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.”
He concluded: “This is Oswald’s journey, trying to rise to the top through extraordinary obstacles. And it’s just super dark. Lauren LeFranc (show creator) wrote a really twisted eight hours of television.”
Watch the first trailer for The Penguin below.
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