Despite The penguin which take place shortly after the events of The Batman and Bruce Wayne's dominating presence over Gotham City, the titular villain doesn't seem to care. Lead star Colin Farrell says his eponymous character “isn't thinking about the Bat at all” because he's focused on too many things.
Speaking to Comicbook.com at the premiere of The Penguin in New York City, Farrell addressed the question of whether Oswald Cobblepot, aka Oz Cobb, has Batman in his proverbial rearview mirror as he pursues his dream of becoming a ruling crime boss. However, the Oscar-nominated actor says that Oz doesn’t have Batman on his mind in the series.
“He's not thinking about The Bat at all,” Farrell said. “I'm sure there's maybe a scene we did, a night where you wonder if that guy will show upbut there's so much happening to him already that the immediate present is something he's struggling with a lot.”
There is already so much happening to him that the immediate present is something he is struggling with a lot.
Farrell and Robert Pattinson's Batman have crossed paths several times in The Batmanincluding a tense meeting at the Iceberg Lounge, a car chase battle, and a subsequent interrogation by Bruce and Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). However, Farrell suggests that Oz is too caught up in his past demons to entertain the Dark Knight in his thoughts for the foreseeable future.
“As much as I had a version of tet-a-tet with him in the movie, that's not what he's becoming, and probably, I suppose, he'll become more in the second movie,” Farrell said. “Oz has other things on his mind, [that being] the immediate present as experienced as it is tainted by his past. He's very, very focused on the present. He has to be because he's got so many plates to juggle, so many plates in the air. They're all spinning out of control and he's trying to keep his s–t together. He's trying to create this ideal of filling the power vacuum that Carmine Falcone's death has created.”
Bruce Wayne is not expected to appear in The Penguin
Fans were hoping for another meeting between Bruce and Oz in The penguin. However, The penguin Showrunner Lauren LeFranc and executive producer Matt Reeves have denied speculation that Batman would appear in the spin-off series. Both insisted that the show doesn't need Batman, given the layers of Oz's history, and that they wanted the focus to be on him rather than Gotham's chief protector. Farrell has yet to be confirmed to return as Oz in Batman Part IIhaving recently expressed doubts about his future in playing the character due to the intense preparation required.
Equated to a Scarred-like a story, The penguin sees Oz attempting to follow in the footsteps of crime lord Carmine Falcone, having previously served as his chief lieutenant before his death. Although the disfigured underworld figure displays his trademark menace in the series, the Oz seen in The penguinwill be different from his comic book counterpart, focusing more on his conflicting emotions and grief.
The penguin also features Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Deirdre O'Connell (Francis Cobb), and Michael Kelly (Johnny Vitti). The series has won over critics since its inception, earning a 91% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The penguin is now available to stream on Max and new episodes will air every Sunday at 9pm ET/PT on HBO starting September 29.
Source: Comicbook.com