'The Penguin' Will Be "Incredibly Violent," Says Colin Farrell

The Big Picture

Colin Farrell promises a dark and violent portrayal of the iconic Batman villain in
The Penguin
series.
The ensemble cast includes stars like Cristin Milioti and Clancy Brown, setting the stage for epic gangster clashes.
The Penguin
series is expected to stay separate from James Gunn’s new DC Universe, following a unique vision by Matt Reeves.

Fresh off the first trailer, Colin Farrell has begun to discuss the violent nature of his upcoming DC series, The Penguin. The show, depicting one of Batman’s most infamous villains, is a spin-off of 2022’s The Batman. The Penguin will make its debut on Max later this year.

While promoting his upcoming Apple TV+ series Sugar, Farrell was asked what fans can expect from The Penguin in an interview with Jonatan Blomberg of MovieZine. Here’s what Farrell had to say about the series:

“It’s dark, that’s what I can tell you about it. It’s really dark. It’s really heavy, I think – it certainly was doing it. Which is not to say I didn’t have fun, I had an amazing time doing it. It’s incredibly violent.

It’s one man’s rise to what he’s always dreamed of inhabiting which is a certain power or social status. The death of Carmine Falcone at the end of [The Batman] the film, leaves this vacuum in Gotham to be filled and so there are various people that are grabbing for that power and this is Oswald’s journey trying to rise to the top through extraordinary obstacles.””

Violence is definitely one word to walk away with given The Penguin‘s first trailer. Explosions and various weapons appear throughout, with Oswald (Farrell) himself brandishing several of them. It’s likely that the gangster will stop at nothing to fill the hole in this criminal underbelly left by Carmine Falcone’s (John Turturro) death in The Batman. Oswald hints at a lust for power in the monologue he gives in the trailer, and violence is undoubtedly one of the largest means he will use to achieve what he seeks.

Who Stars in ‘The Penguin?’

Outside of recent Academy Award nominee Farrell, an impressive ensemble cast has been assembled for the villain’s solo series. Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) stars as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine who is Oswald’s biggest obstacle in achieving control of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Clancy Brown (Gen V) and Michael Kelly (House of Cards) play rival gangsters Salvatore Maroni and Johnny Vitti, respectively. Michael Zegen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) also stars, portraying Sofia’s brother Alberto. Rhenzy Feliz (Runaways), Theo Rossi (Luke Cage), Carmen Ejogo (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), and François Chau (Lost) round out the supporting cast.

Is ‘The Penguin’ Part of James Gunn’s New DCU?

James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-chairs of the new DCU, have been very upfront when addressing forthcoming DC projects, such as Superman and Creature Commandos. The duo has made it clear that they will follow an Elseworlds approach for several titles, such as the animated Teen Titans Go! and Joaquin Phoenix‘s Joker films. It’s been a little less clear when it comes to Matt Reeves‘s Batman projects, though it’s expected that these projects will stay contained in their own universe. Reeves likely has his own unique vision that is separate from the story of the new DCU. Plus, Gunn and Safran are hard at work on The Brave and The Bold for the DCU.