Colin Farrell ‘excited’ to return to The Batman universe after being ‘spoiled rotten’ on The Pengiun
After being "spoiled rotten" with his HBO spin-off show The Penguin, Colin Farrell is "really excited" to work with Robert Pattinson and Jeffrey Wright again for The Batman: Part II.
Colin Farrell is “really excited” to return for The Batman: Part II after being “spoiled rotten” on The Penguin.
The 49-year-old actor is set to reprise his role as Oz Cobb for the upcoming DC superhero sequel, and Farrell has said he is eager to work with Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight, Jeffrey Wright’s James ‘Jim’ Gordon and director Matt Reeves again following his HBO spin-off show.
Speaking with Collider, Farrell said: “It's less about ‘What can I do.’ I was spoiled rotten with eight hours on HBO. It's less of ‘What can I do with this,’ and more just to be in that world and be around Robert and be around Jeffrey again, and be led by Matt Reeves.
“It’s something I'm really excited about again, just to be around it.”
Reflecting on The Batman: Part II, Farrell said he was honoured to be “part of that world”, adding he had been a fan of the Caped Crusader since an early age.
The Ballad of a Small Player star gushed: “I love that world. I mean, I loved it as a fan of film since Batman ‘66. I grew up watching that, and Burgess Meredith was my first Penguin, and then Danny DeVito was my second Penguin.
“Then Chris Nolan's work, of course, was extraordinary in that universe. But to see how Matt has re-envisioned a world that's unique enough and still honors the struggles of that city and the psychological struggles of the character of Bruce Wayne, and Batman, and who is the shadow of who — is Bruce Wayne the real guy, or is Batman?
“Just to be part of that world … Honestly, just to be in something that takes place in Gotham, where a character called Bruce Wayne and Batman exist, is such a joy for me.”
As well as Farrell, Pattinson and Wright, The Batman: Part II will see the return of Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman and Andy Serkis’s Alfred Pennyworth.
Farrell recently teased The Batman: Part II would be “deeper” and “scarier” than its 2022 predecessor, though admitted his role as The Penguin was “even smaller”.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’ve got an even smaller role in this one. But I’m OK with that … I’ve read the script, from start to finish, and I can’t say much about it.
“But it’s deeper, scarier, the stakes are bigger. I’m really excited to see it.”
The Gentleman star added it was a dream come true for “that child in Dublin who used to draw Batman signals on his jeans” to join the DC universe as The Penguin, but admitted he initially didn't understand Reeves’ vision for the villain.
He explained: “I was so excited when I got the script and then I read it and was like ‘I’ve only got five scenes.’ I didn’t really get it either. I thought he was a bit silly, a bit of a putz ...
“I’ll never forget it. Matt went. ‘Come in, come in.’ And he opened up his laptop and showed it [a visual mock-up of The Penguin's make-up] to me.
“The first time I saw it, the cogs crunched. Everything in the script became clear. Every little pockmark.
“The character was ferocious looking, but I could imagine every aspect of the character’s life, even moving ones. It just gave me so much information.”
