When it rains news about The Batman, it pours.
Moments after news broke that Andy Serkis is being circled to play Alfred in Matt Reeves’s The Batman, Deadline is reporting that Colin Farrell is in talks to portray The Penguin in the comic book film. Farrell would join Serkis, Robert Pattinson as Batman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon. The part of the Penguin has been in the news because it was originally offered to Jonah Hill, who eventually passed on the role. We have been waiting for a few weeks to see who would pick up what Hill put down.
Farrell is probably the most surprising casting choice so far. He is a bit older than Pattinson and we pictured the role going to an actor in Pattinson’s age bracket, mostly because Hill was. But we aren’t going to scoff at the selection because Farrell is a wonderfully talented dude and will bring a level of intensity and suave danger to the part. As I have stated before, The Penguin isn’t just some dumpy little man with an umbrella. He is a tough dude, one who can take Batman down with wits and his leadership abilities. He might not be the one who actually overpowers Bats physically but he is still quite a foe in many other ways. Plus, he looks like a bad ass in a tuxedo.
With Farrell in talks to take on The Penguin, you can expect casting news to slow for The Batman. The major parts have been filled and Reeves can now get to the task at hand: making us Batman fans proud. He has assembled a terrific team to help him and now the hard work begins. Go get ‘em, Matt.