Danny DeVito has shared with us his thoughts on how Colin Farrell will fare portraying his iconic role as one of The Batman's most notorious villains, The Penguin. As the person who brought Penguin to life in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, Danny DeVito remains the only actor to have portrayed Penguin in a traditional Batman film, although the role of Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin's real name) has also been brought to live-action by the actor Robin Lord Taylor on the Fox Television show Gotham.
As reported earlier this month, Colin Farrell is poised to be taking on the role of The Penguin in Matt Reeves' upcoming Batman film, joining Paul Dano as The Riddler and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman. Although the role was initially rumored to have been offered to Jonah Hill, Farrell snagged it and secured his second role as a villain in a superhero movie, following the actor's stint as Bullseye in 2003's Daredevil.
During a press event for the upcoming film Jumanji: The Next Level, Screen Rant spoke to Mr. DeVito and asked him how he felt about the rumors surrounding Colin Farrell's supposed casting in his own iconic role. Having just worked together on the Disney film Dumbo, DeVito had nothing but nice things to say about Farrell's casting. Mr. DeVito said, "Colin’s a great actor... He’s a good friend of mine. I’ve known him for many years and I think he’s going to do a great job as the Penguin. It’s going to be really interesting to see his take on it."
While an endorsement from Batman Returns' Penguin himself may be enough for many fans, it may not be enough to placate Penguin hopeful Josh Gad, who responded to Ferrell's casting news with somewhat tepid enthusiasm. Although a number of actors have been rumored for the role since the news of Matt Reeves' Batman film first dropped, it seems Farrell may indeed be the one to stick.
Fans of the actor's performance in shows like True Detective Season 2 or films like The Lobster are surely interested to see what sort of nuances Colin Farrell could bring to the role of Penguin, and with original portrayer Danny DeVito's endorsement hopefully long-time Batman fans will begin to see things from the same perspective. Although Farrell may not have the same physical characteristics Penguin exhibits in the comic books, it's beginning to looks like he might be the best choice for the role, at least according to the people who know The Batman's Penguin best.