The Batman's Original Penguin Design Would've Made Farrell's Villain Worse
The Batman dodged a bullet by putting original designs for Colin Farrell's Penguin on ice. Matt Reeves' The Batman enjoyed rampant praise for its depiction of Gotham City, grungey neo-noir tone, and grounded characterizations of DC favorites. Among those celebrated by critics was Colin Farrell as Penguin — still a mob underboss working for Carmine Falcone during The Batman's Year Two era. Intimidating, affable, and ever-so-slightly comedic, Farrell's Penguin performance is built upon a striking physical transformation. Through prosthetics, makeup, and costume, The Batman turns Farrell into a true onscreen presence — tall, stocky, and with heavy-set facial features.
Apparently, this wasn't always the case. Newly-surfaced The Batman concept art by Adam Brockbank shows Colin Farrell's Penguin looking like… Colin Farrell in a suit. The designs show no obvious sign of facial prosthetic attachments, and absolutely no sign of the large, weighty frame seen in The Batman's finished cut. This radically different getup would seem to suggest The Batman initially cast Farrell in the Oswald Cobblepot role without any intention of drastically altering his actor's look, and the decision to slather him in rubber only came further into production.
Related: Colin Farrell’s Penguin Transformation Completely Changes His Spinoff Hype
Like measuring Robert Pattinson against George Clooney, there really is no comparison between Penguin's two designs. While Colin Farrell's The Batman performance would've impressed whatever he wore on the outside, Penguin's prosthetics and costume help craft a fascinating, lived-in figure whose inner personality is reflected by a harsh exterior. More than just making Falcone's bulky right-hand-man more
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