There’s a very cool but overlooked element regarding the rise of superhero films in the last decade in that we’re now seeing a whole generation of actors getting the chance to play superheroes they grew up idolizing. We’ve seen it with Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, who grew up idolizing Spider-Man. Or Henry Cavill, who loved Superman as a kid.
We can now add Colin Farrell to that list.
In a new interview with GMA News, they touched upon Farrell playing the Penguin in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman, and the veteran actor, who has played any number of roles, lit up.
“It’s all exciting,” he gushed. “To be a part of that universe and just there are certain words that are part of my internal lexicon: Gotham City, Penguin, Joker, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent, all these things.”
And it’s true. Like Spider-Man, like Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, Batman is just one of those ubiquitous characters that have always been around since childhood (at least for most of us). Characters we grew up watching, or, in some cases, even worshipping. Even now-famous actors aren’t immune. As Farrell explained, both Adam West’s Batman TV series from the ’60s and Tim Burton’s Batman movies in the ’80s & ’90s shaped him in his formative years.
“Tim Burton’s Batman was kind of my – no, I watched the Adam West TV show growing up, actually, as well,” he corrected himself. “So Batman as a kid, yes, very much, not in comic book form but the TV show I watched ardently when I was a child. And then in my teens, I saw Burton’s version and loved it.”
There’s been some speculation as to how Matt Reeves will juggle a rogues’ gallery of villains for The Batman, which, currently, has Farrell as Penguin, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. From what Farrell said during the interview, we’re not to worry. Even if villains might not necessarily get a huge amount of screen time, the scenes they are getting will have a major impact:
“I had only started it and I can’t wait to get back. The creation of it, the aesthetic of the character, has been fun and I really am so excited to get back and explore it. And I haven’t got that much to do. I have a certain amount in the film. I am not all over it by any means. But there are a couple of some tasty scenes I have in it and my creation and I can’t wait to get back. Yeah, I totally feel like it is something that I have not had the opportunity to explore before. It feels original and fun. But I am only at the start of the journey so I can’t wait to get back and really get into it.”
The Batman was, according to Reeves, about a quarter of the way shot when the pandemic struck and Hollywood productions shut down, and so far, he’s been really excited by what the cast, especially Robert Pattinson, has brought to the table. Originally scheduled to hit theaters on June 25, 2021, The Batman will now be hitting theaters on October 1, 2021.
Add The Batman to your watchlist and we’ll keep you updated.
