Colin Farrell Hasn’t Been Asked to Return for ‘The Batman Part II’ But Would ‘Love’ to Come Back
2022 was a very good year for Colin Farrell. The actor’s career has been on an upswing for a few years after a difficult period starring in failed blockbusters. Performances in The Banshees of Inisherin and The Batman have all brought the actor acclaim recently.
A sequel to The Batman is currently in the works, and Farrell is open about his desire to play a part in the next movie.
Colin Farrell’s casting as the Penguin was a surprise
When you think about the trademark characteristics of Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot — short, heavyset, and with a beak-like nose — you don’t envision someone with the leading man looks of Farrell. Rather than cut his hair and change his entire physiology for The Batman, Farrell wore 15 pounds of prosthetics. The Los Angeles Times reported it took three hours to apply the makeup at first before the team got it down to an hour and a half during shooting. Farrell also worked with dialect coach Jessica Drake to nail the voice.
In this version of Gotham City, Cobblepot is a mid-level mobster working under Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Writer and director Matt Reeves took inspiration from Fredo Corleone from The Godfather. Speaking with Empire, Farrell said that both men are “crippled by the insignificance that [they] live within, in a family that is full of very strong, very bright, very capable, very violent men.”
The actor is unrecognizable in the movie. He’s far from Batman’s biggest adversary in The Batman, but Farrell’s performance is a standout.
Colin Farrell is game to join ‘The Batman Part II’ if he’s asked to return
A sequel to The Batman was officially greenlit at the end of January. When asked about the project on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, Farrell was surprised that the film had already been announced. He also added that he has yet to be contacted about reprising his role.
Reeves will return as the writer and director of The Batman: Part II and Farrell makes it clear that he will make time in his schedule should he be asked to come back.
“I loved working with Matt, I just think he did such an extraordinary job in that film,” said the actor. Farrell understood that he wasn’t the main villain in The Batman, but he would’ve liked to have more scenes in the movie. Fortunately, he’ll get his chance to put the makeup on again in the near future.
A new TV series based on the Penguin is coming soon
A new HBO Max TV series based on the Penguin has been announced. The plot is being kept under wraps for the time being, but Farrell did provide a few details.
“I think it’s going to be an eight-part thing for HBO around Oz’s rise to power, filling that power vacuum that was created when Falcone was killed,” he said. “Originally, Matt’s idea was to have the Penguin show begin about a week after the end of The Batman and then if it works, if the trajectory is interesting enough, and if the audience goes for it and we do our jobs right have the Penguin feature in the second film and pick up where the HBO show will end.”
Farrell described the scripts for the first five episodes of the show, written by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, as “extraordinary.” The actor also added there will be a romantic subplot as well. “I don’t know if it’s love, but there’s an attraction for sure”, he said.
The show is set to start shooting on February 28th.
