Colin Farrell explains the connection between a certain The Godfather character and The Batman’s Penguin, teasing his villain's backstory along the way. Director Reeves’s upcoming The Batman reboot starring Robert Robert Pattinson will release in theaters in March, and then on HBO Max the following month. Inspired by comics like Batman: Year One, the film will follow its hero’s early years as a vigilante in Gotham City, pitting him against Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman, Paul Dano’s Riddler, John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone, and Farrell’s Oswald 'Oz' Cobblepot, aka Penguin.
Despite its much-discussed PG-13 rating, The Batman will see a dark, gritty, and corrupt Gotham realized on the big screen like never before. While Riddler is set to be the film’s main antagonist, Farrell’s unrecognizable turn as Penguin has attached a lot of attention during the promotional campaign. Previous cinematic depictions of the Gotham gangster put the “P” in Penguin. For example, Danny DeVito’s iteration in Batman Returns is much more flamboyant and bird-like than Farrell’s appears to be. Rather than being a joke, and being from an affluent family, Oz is more of a foil to Bruce Wayne in the comics. Still, this doesn’t mean that Penguin is necessarily taken seriously.
During a recent interview with MovieMaker, Farrell explained how his Penguin's backstory, took emotional inspiration from the late John Cazale’s Fredo in The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. According to the actor, Oz, like Fredo, had very lofty ambitions but never really got the opportunity to explore them due to being viewed as lesser by his crime family. Ultimately, Fredo proved a good Penguin connection because of his "brokenness," since Oswald has been "looked upon as somebody who wasn't capable" throughout his life.Read Farrell’s full quote below:
"There's a certain amount of brokenness in Oz that, I think, as a reference, not for me performance-wise, but just emotionally, as a reference for Matt – I think Fredo from The Godfather was a bit of a reference ... Matt was just talking about somebody who had very real and very lofty ambitions, but never really had the opportunity or the chance to explore them, and was maybe looked upon as someone who was handicapped, whether it was psychologically, intellectually – Fredo was frowned upon as less than the other brothers, and maybe Oz as well, in his life, was looked upon as somebody who wasn't capable ... And so that's one of the things that fuels Oz."
In the first two Godfather films, Fredo Corleone is overlooked by his family due to being perceived as weak and simple. Despite being older than Michael, the latter brother becomes the undisputed boss following the deaths of Vito and Sonny. Fredo’s insecurities lead to him betraying Michael, which ultimately leads to Michael ordering the hit on his older brother. All of this implies that Penguin’s family dynamic will influence Farrell’s depiction, with the character so desperate to prove himself that he’ll betray those closest to him.
Farrell has said that Penguin won’t play a huge role in the upcoming film. However, The Batman will likely be the first film in a franchise, spawning sequels and spinoffs. For example, two HBO Max spinoffs are in development focusing on the Gotham Police Department and Penguin’s origins, which is where this The Godfather element will most certainly be fleshed out. Reeves will executive produce that series with Lauren LeFranc (Agents of SHIELD and Impluse) attached to write its scripts. While Farrell isn't yet confirmed to be involved with the series, fans should expect The Batman to set it up in some way when the film releases, teasing more of Farrell's "broken" villain.
Source: MovieMaker
