The Batman Star Colin Farrell Wants to Reprise Penguin Role in Sequel

Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson took comic book fans by storm earlier this year with The Batman, which quickly became one of the most acclaimed DC movies of all time. It's no surprise that Warner Bros. is going all-in on the version of Gotham City that Reeves brought to life. There's a spinoff series coming to HBO Max, focusing on Colin Farrell's Penguin and his rise to power and giving fans more time with one of the most popular characters from the film. For his part, Farrell also wants in on Reeves' direct Batman sequel.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Farrell said he wanted to reprise his role as the Penguin, not just for the spinoff series, but also for The Batman 2. 

"Oh my god, you kidding me?!" Farrell asked when the idea of returning for The Batman sequel was presented. "It's so much fun, are you joking [with] me? I've been around the block man. That was an easy sport, I mean ... it was a joy."

"Matt's up to his bollocks, you know, hovering over the keyboard and just planning the story because he's just so meticulous," Farrell said of Reeves. "He's so obsessive about what he does, but he's all over [HBO Max's] The Penguin [series] as well. I mean, he's not gonna direct it but he's all over the structure of the scripts and who's gonna direct them. And so, it's exciting."

Farrell was nearly unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot in The Batman, thanks to some great prosthetics from Mike Marino. 

"I was hidden beneath Mike Marino's work," Farrell said of his performance. "Mike Marino's such a genius -- what he did, what he created. I've never had less ownership about a part I played than I have over [Oz]. I really can't. It's 50-50, maybe 49-51 in his favor."

The Batman is currently streaming on HBO Max, the same service that will eventually be the exclusive home of Farrell's Penguin series.