Colin Farrell recently revealed that despite his best efforts, Warner Bros. refused to let his Penguin smoke in The Batman. The PG-13 blockbuster is obviously fine with having a serial killer as the main antagonist, but a villain lighting up onscreen is one step too far.
On the plus side, Oswald Cobblepot could realistically be depicted as a two packs a day man when his HBO Max spinoff eventually arrives. As James Gunn’s Peacemaker has shown in no uncertain terms that WB and DC Films are a lot more open to expressions of creative freedom and outright insanity. Also there is nothing to worry about when there aren’t any box office dollars to gain.
Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter: “An R-rated Penguin series? Colin Farrell talks his upcoming HBO Max #TheBatman spinoff. Farrell offered up some vague tidbits on his hopes and dreams for the show, as well as outlining his excitement. The Penguin’s solo series will be leaning into R-rated territory, which would in turn allow him to dig a little deeper into the character.
Farrell in his interview also said that his ambition and his vulnerability, his humour. All of this was just the tip of the iceberg in this film for him, but there were little moments in the scripts that Matt Davis wrote, in relation to Oz, little bits of humour and awkwardness, as well. And his origin, you know why he is the man he is.
If we get six to eight hours to do it, I just think the character could be endlessly fun and fascinating and brutal. I hear that we’re going to be allowed to kind of do an R-rated version, perhaps, which would be nice to explore the violence that could permit, perhaps, and the darkness that could allow us to explore. So, all of those things.
Colin Farrell
The Batman received an official MPAA rating of PG-13 back in January, citing “violent and disturbing content, drug content [and] strong language” alongside other suggestive material. However, Reeves has since explained The Batman does not have an R-rated cut as he wants as many people to see his film as possible—something a more mature rating, of course, would limit.
Farrell and Reeves have compared Penguin to Fredo Corleone in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II. In The Batman, Oz is a foot soldier of Carmine Falcone and has yet to become The Penguin. Irrespective of his ambition, he isn’t taken seriously by his associates.
Producer Dylan Clark has said that the spinoff will chart Oz’s rise to power similar to Scarface’s Tony Montana. These gangster comparisons reinforce the idea that the Penguin’s spinoff will need a mature and violent series to do its titular character justice.
Furthermore, Farrell was only allowed to smoke a cigar in The Batman but could sport Penguin’ iconic cigarette holder on HBO Max. Batman will have its theatrical release on 4th March, 2022 till then we can look at the trailer.
About The Batman
The Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Directed by Matt Reeves and written by Peter Craig, the film will feature Twilight star Robert Pattinson in the titular role.
Other cast members include Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Barry Keoghan, Jayme Lawson, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.
The brand-new Batman solo will see Bruce Wayne/ Batman in his second year of fighting crime as he explores the corruption that plagues Gotham City and how it may tie to his own family, in addition to coming into conflict with a serial killer known as the Riddler. Set in the parallel universe Earth-2, the movie will be separate from the rest of the DCEU canon.
Source – Rotten Tomatoes/Twitter
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