Colin Farrell discusses The Batman's upcoming Penguin spinoff, saying the show could be R-rated/TV-MA when it releases on HBO Max. Inspired by the Year One comic storyline, Matt Reeves' gritty reboot, The Batman, focuses on Bruce Wayne's second year as Gotham's vigilante. The film follows Batman as he investigates serial murders of the city's elites. The noir thriller stars Robert Pattinson's Batman, Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright's Lieutenant James Gordon, Andy Serkis' Alfred Pennyworth, Paul Dano's Riddler, John Turturro's Carmine Falcone, and Farrell's Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot.
Farrell's big-screen iteration of the Gotham gangster follows Danny DeVito's portrayal in Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992). Where DeVito's Oz leaned into his flamboyant and bird-like mantle, Farrell's take is more grounded and in line with Reeves' prospective "Batverse." Despite Penguin's minor supporting role in The Batman, which positions Dano's Riddler as its main antagonist, Farrell has been getting a lot of attention for looking unrecognizable with heavy prosthetics, make-up, and a fat suit. Piggybacking off this hype, a Gotham City Police Department and Penguin spinoff series for HBO Max were announced late last year. The latter project currently lacks a title and release window, but Reeves will serve as executive producer, and screenwriter Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) is penning the script.
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Farrell discussed his character in The Batman and how the film will set up his spinoff. While talking about Reeves' script and what drew him to Oz, Farrell hinted Penguin may operate under an R-rating on HBO Max. Read the full quote below:
“His ambition and his vulnerability, his humor. I mean it was just the tip of the iceberg in this film for me, but there were little moments in the scripts that Matt wrote, in relation to Oz, little bits of humor and awkwardness, as well. And his origin, you know why he is the man he is and all that stuff. 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.”
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. Given The Batman's gritty nature, many fans hoped the film would secure a stricter age classification. 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. That being said, the sky seems to be the limit on HBO Max (and other streaming services), where TV-MA comic book shows like Peacemaker, Doom Patrol, and Watchmen continue to thrive.
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's iconic cigarette holder on HBO Max.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes/Twitter
