Colin Farrell has said he’s not sure he’s up for a second season of The Penguin because it’s really hard wearing all of the required prosthetics. It takes a whole lot of time and effort to transform him into the much larger Oz Cobb. But while Farrell grew tired of wearing all that extra bulk by season’s end, he still appreciates how his makeup team went the extra mile to make sure he had all the…girth…he need in the show’s premiere. The Penguin star said even though we didn’t see it, he was wearing an anatomically correct little penguin during his nude scene.

The Penguin‘s first episode ended with a naked Oz Cobb tied to a chair. Sofia Falcone had him tortured while questioning him about her brother’s murder. While a fantastic scene on its own, it really highlighted just how talented the show’s hair and makeup really are. We got to see all of Oz in all his glory. Mostly. Though completely naked we didn’t see the Penguin’s personal…south pole. Turns out if we had we would have seen a properly sized henchman for the character.

Farrell told Variety the show’s prosthetics designer Michael Marino was “kind enough to make Oz, shall we say, anatomically correct.” Marino did that by constructing a “velcro piece to stick on” to Farrell’s other body prosthetics. And as if that wasn’t enough, for extra naked authenticity, Farrell shared his character was also sporting “a nice retro bush.”

That’s how we looked after reading that. If you need a moment/lifetime to get over knowing this information, so do we. So. Do. We.

As for actually filming as a nude Oz Cobb, Farrell said it was “strange” and “discomforting.” Even though he wasn’t actually naked, he felt as though he was. In-between takes he asked for a towel to cover up because he “felt incredibly exposed,” even though he knew he was anything but.

Would he have felt that way without his phony phallus? Maybe. Maybe not. Unless he returns for a second season and films another nude scene without one on we will never know. What we do know is we’ve already thought about the Penguin’s penis too much already.

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Oz Cobb is coming to HBO, but like a true supervillain he’s arriving on his own terms. The Batman spinoff series starring Colin Farrell is launching with a very weird release schedule. The Penguin will debut on both the network and Max at nine p.m. on Thursday, September 19. But rather than stick with that night, the way most shows only air on a specific day of the week, it’s immediately moving to another. Starting with the second episode new installments will air Sunday night during one of the most sacred spots in all of television.

Oz Cobb is ready to take over Gotham, HBO, and Max with The Penguin‘s highly anticipated first episode. I’ve seen it and thought it was excellent. Unfortunately those who agree with me will have an extra few days to wait before getting the next one. Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed that instead of sticking with a Thursday night release schedule, the show will instead slide over to the nine p.m. slot on Sundays nights.

That’s excellent news for the series and how the company feels about it. HBO’s nine p.m. Sunday slot is the network’s most prestigious place on the TV calendar. That time slot has been home to revered mega hits like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, and countless other critical and ratings darlings.

But if HBO is so high on The Penguin, why not just start the show on Sunday? Why kick things off on a Thursday? Some viewers will inevitably be upset when they turn on their TVs seven days later only to realize episode two isn’t on. Just as some will tune in the night of September 29 confused by a show “starting” with its second episode.

It’s chaos! Like Gotham City after the Riddler destroyed the sea wall!

Okay, maybe waiting three extra days is not that chaotic, but we doubt this would be happening if Carmine Falcone was still in charge. Oz Cobb has his work cutout for him if he wants to be in charge.

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The Batman in 2022 gave us our first glimpse at Matt Reeves’ version of Gotham City. While not the first “realistic” version of the fictional comic book city, though arguably more in line with a lot of more comic-booky Batman aesthetics, The Batman perfectly thread the line between grounded and fantastical. It’s not The Dark Knight, but it’s also not Batman & Robin. Because of that, several of the sillier elements had to change to fit better. Some of those are the names of characters. Chief among them, the Penguin (Colin Farrell). In the movie, we learn he goes by “Oz,” and the series The Penguin confirms his name is not Oswald Cobblepot.

The series changes the name Oswald Cobblepot to Oswald “Oz” Cobb. Small change, but bigger ramifications. In the comic, Oswald Cobblepot is a criminal in the vein of high-society wannabe. He’s the black sheep of a decidedly white sheep family. That really doesn’t fit The Batman‘s version of the character one bit, a mafia enforcer who fancies himself a bigshot. Similar vibe, wildly different execution. So the easy answer is, “Oswald Cobblepot” is a silly name.

Speaking to SFX (via GameSpot), The Penguin producer Dylan Clark explains the change further. “[DC] never got around to changing his name in the comics like they did with the Riddler, going from Edward Nigma [or Nygma] to Edward Nashton, from an unreal name to a real name.” This, of course, is true. In the comics, we learn Edward Nygma was a retrofitted pseudonym for Edward Nashton once he took on the persona of the Riddler.

“We had a lot of conversations with DC Comics and with Jim Lee [President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics],” Clark continued. “They had thought about changing his name at some point but had never done it. Matt asked, ‘Can I call our character Oz Cobb?’ And Jim said, ‘Absolutely!’ So we got a blessing from the king himself. That small change of the name allowed us to look at this character in a grounded way.”

Boy, they are really worried about a story where a guy dresses up like a bat feeling grounded. Ah well, it is what it is. Oz Cobb does fit the character better, somehow, so maybe they had the right idea.

The Penguin premieres September 19 on HBO.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The Penguin didn’t even get a chance to premiere before a potential second season seemed unlikely. That had nothing to do with early critical reaction to the spinoff series, though. (Initial reviews are stellar.) It’s not because Warner Bros. Discovery has budget concerns, either. (At least not yet/we hope.) It’s because star Colin Farrell isn’t sure he can keep wearing all the prosthetics the role requires. He told GamesRadar that by the end of season one he found himself saying, “I never want to put that f***ing suit and that f***ing head on again.”

As much as we love the character, we don’t blame him. Fortunately, there’s a way for him to continue living in Gotham without having to first spend hours in a makeup chair. His Oswald Cobblepot can instead transform into Emperor Penguin, an alternate version of the Batman villain who is a DC Comics character whom Colin Farrell naturally looks like.

Colin Farrell was definitely not the most obvious choice to play The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but he turned out to be an inspired one. The Irish actor completely disappeared into the role of the street-wise American mobster. His Oz was equal parts frightening and funny, an unforgettable presence who fit perfectly into Reeves’ version of Gotham City. Farrell didn’t do that alone, though. World-class movie magic helped him physically transform into the role. If no one told you Colin Farrell was the one waddling around underneath those scars and body you would have never known it was him. His own co-star John Turturro didn’t even believe it was him!

Obviously, all those prosthetics take a lot of time and patience to put on every day. Acting in them also takes a lot of extra energy. There’s also a big difference in how many total days you have to wear them as a supporting character in a single movie compared to when you’re the titular star of an eight-episode TV show. It’s no surprise Farrell was beyond tired of the whole process after shooting The Penguin. It’s more surprising he ever agreed to do it in the first place.

While Reeves has already said The Penguin will appear in The Batman 2, that doesn’t mean Farrell will sign on for a second season of his spinoff show. Not if it will mean many more months wearing those heavy prosthetics. But what if he doesn’t have to? There’s a way to do exactly that. Reeves and the show could let the actor appear with his own face if they adapt the story of Batman villain Ignatius Ogilvy.

Ignatius Ogilvy is a lesser-known DC Comics villain who has something very important in common with Bruce Wayne. He saw his parents killed outside a theater. His dad was a small-time crooks. But while he never stepped out of line, that didn’t get him ahead. Nor did it save his life. Ignatius never forgot the hard lessons he learned from his father’s life. They drove his own ambition as he built an underworld career.

As a kid, Ignatius joined The Penguin’s crew. In his low-level henchman role he battled with (and lost to) Batman multiple times. Eventually he rose to become Oz Cobblepot’s most trusted, favorite lieutenant. But Ignatius wanted more, and when the opportunity presented itself he took it. He usurped The Penguin’s entire criminal empire from his boss. He then named himself Emperor Penguin and started taking drugs that gave him super strength and abilities.

Before his skin turned blue and he became known as Emperor Blackgate, Ignatius Ogilvy also just so happened to look exactly like a blonde-haired Colin Farrell.

Colin Farrell did not look like an obvious choice to play Oz Cobblepot. Yet he looks like he was born to play Ignatius Ogilvy.

Matt Reeves and the writers of The Penguin don’t have to kill off Oz to make the switch. They certainly could have Farrell double dip until Ignatius replaces The Penguin entirely. Or they could simply adapt Emperor Penguin’s story. The Penguin is trying to becoming Gotham’s unquestioned underworld boss. That will make him the #1 target of Batman. If Oz gets what he thinks he wants, he might quickly find himself in need of a new identity and face. His newfound riches could make that possible with some pricey plastic surgery. It might be easier to rebuild his empire as Ignatius than it would be to keep it as Oz.

Colin Farrell’s The Penguin is a memorable comic book villain. His look, which gives him an imposing presence and identity, is a big reason why. But as much as we love his Oz and want him to come back for multiple seasons and movies, if those prosthetics prove too much to work with, we’ll gladly take Farrell’s version of Emperor Penguin instead. Especially if they end up being the same person anyway.

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Of all the unsure futures for DC properties and projects once WB and Discovery merged, and DC Studios rebooted their universe, the one I most wanted to continue was Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The big hit movie with a singularly grimy take on Gotham City already had a sequel and a spinoff series in the works. Neither, thankfully, faced the scrap pile, and indeed that spinoff series, The Penguin, is exceedingly close to debuting. With Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb vying for power in Gotham’s criminal underworld, gangsters and goons are bound to clash.

During the Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Farrell (via pre-recorded video) introduced the full trailer for The Penguin. We get to see just how seedy the gang war is in Gotham. Penguin tries to take over the drugs trade in the city, assuming control of the family after Carmine Falcone’s death. However, Falcone’s daughter, Sofia, arrives to assert her own authority after a stint in Arkham Asylum. If she thinks she’s rehabilitating, I’d hate to see the way she was before.

At one point we hear that Sofia was “the Hangman.” While we don’t know what that means in the context of the series, the Hangman in DC Comics is a thing. Sofia Falcone first appeared in The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. By the time of the follow-up series Dark Victory, she assumes the mantle of the serial killer, the Hangman. Her targets were anyone associated with her father’s death. So…great!

Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark refer to their Gotham City universe as “The Batman Epic Crime Saga,” outside of any other DC universe. In addition to Farrell, The Penguin stars Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone; Michael Zegan as Alberto Falcone; Michael Kelly as Johnny Vitti; and mother-effing Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni.

The Penguin premieres September 19.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy are now HBO Originals. According to Deadline, the shows are joining the upcoming Harry Potter series (eww), the DC series Lanterns, and Welcome to Derry to become HBO originals. The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy will still stream on Max, of course, but are also going to be available on HBO.

This strategy captures the prestige of the HBO name and the numbers from a premium cable network while also getting streaming service clicks as well. Good for HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery, we suppose. We are just ready to see HBO Originals The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy, Lanterns, and Welcome to Derry give us all the good nerd feels as they come out over the next couple of years. 

First up is The Penguin, which releases September 8. Dune: Prophecy is coming sometime in Fall 2024, too. We will have to wait until 2025 to see the IT prequel Welcome to Derry on our screens. There’s currently no word on Lanterns yet, which is in development.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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A second teaser trailer for Max’s The Penguin has released, and it promises a brand new chapter in the world of Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Carmine Falcone’s dead. And Oz Cobb (a.k.a. The Penguin) is ready to call the shots. But we’re sure it won’t be quite that easy. You can check out all the devious dealings to come in the trailer for The Penguin below.

Family is at the center of this explosive tale. Who can you trust? Who should you trust? Is there any trust to be found at all? We couldn’t say for sure, but there are definitely guns and explosives enough to go around. Gotham City is a hard enough place to navigate without a huge power vacuum drawing all the worst sorts of criminals out to vie for control. This latest trailer for The Penguin certainly has our attention, though. Colin Farrell is playing the charismatic Penguin to perfection. We can’t help but we drawn into his schemes ourselves.

Of course, we can’t count out  Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone. She seems like a woman who is ready to take a little power for herself. How will Sofia Falcone and The Penguin’s relationship end up going? Well, we can’t wait to find out.

There’s no official synopsis for The Penguin to go with its trailer. Instead, Max notes, “Starring Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb (aka “The Penguin”), the eight-episode DC Studios limited series continues filmmaker Matt Reeves’ The Batman epic crime saga that began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster “The Batman.” Developed by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, the series centers on the character played by Farrell in the film.”

When Will The Penguin Release on Max?

The Penguin currently has a September release date window, though we are still waiting on the specific date of its release. But no doubt, we’ll get more sneak peeks soon to keep our interest high. If what we see above is technically only a “teaser trailer” for The Penguin, we bet the official trailer will surely come out with a bang.

This is a developing story.

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Warner Bros. Pictures recently shared bad news for fans of Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. It has delayed Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequel for another year. It won’t arrive in theaters until 2026. How can admirers of the Caped Crusader survive the wait? By spending it with Gotham’s new criminal kingpin. Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot is getting his own spinoff series at Max, and The Penguin‘s first trailer is a violent look at how he’ll establish his own underworld empire in Batman’s backyard.

Colin Farrell is back with a whole lot of makeup and bravado as one of the Dark Knight’s most iconic villains. But in Matt Reeves’ cinematic universe, the Penguin is not yet the powerful figure we know him as. As we see in this trailer for The Penguin, that’s about to change. With the death of Carmine Falcone, Gotham’s sinister underworld has a big void. This trailer is the first step in Oswald Cobblepot’s plan to be the man who fills it.

In addition to Farrell’s memorable, intimidating, and hilarious villain, the show also stars Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, and Michael Zegen. We see glimpses of them in The Penguin‘s teaser trailer but we’re excited to see more.

The series comes from creator, writer, and showrunner Lauren LeFranc. She also serves as an executive producer on the show along with Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Craig Zobel, and Bill Carraro. Zobel also directs the first three episodes of the eight-episode season.

Batman comic book fans will also recognize another powerful mob boss referenced in this trailer for The Penguin. “Oz Cobb” mentions an old-school gangster from his neighborhood, Rex Calabrese. While that’s a fun Easter egg (at least), it’s also a reminder of just how long Gotham has dealt with corruption. Every generation has its own underworld figures who rule the streets. Now The Penguin will show us how this era got its own when it debuts at Max this fall.

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Matt Reeves’ version of Gotham City in The Batman was my favorite of all the cinematic outings. That movie got the mix of heightened comic bookery and crime drama, I think has been sorely missing. While the Riddler was the major supervillain of the film, and Carmine Falcone proved a sneaky sub-villain, it was Colin Farrell’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot that was the most fun. What a relief that the Max spinoff series The Penguin is still happening. The streamer shared an “in-production teaser” for The Penguin series, which will drop in 2024. It already has us hyped.

From this teaser, we can already see the power vacuum in place in Gotham’s criminal underworld after Falcone’s death. The Penguin wants to step in this teaser, but he’s by no means the only player. We know Cristin Milioti will play Sofia Falcone, Carmine’s daughter. She and Oz have a drink, and it’s possible she’ll back to play, or at least partner, with him. We also know mother-effing Clancy Brown will play Salvatore Maroni, the rival crime boss to Falcone and the one Falcone lied to Bruce Wayne about having killed his parents. Maroni also, in comics lore, was the one who tossed acid in Harvey Dent’s face.

The rest of the cast includes Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Deirdre O’Connell, with Michael Zegen recurring. The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro.

We cannot wait to see the powerplays, back-stabbing, and Sopranos-esque intrigue of The Penguin when it drops next year. Gotham will never be the same.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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It was a big surprise when they announced Colin Farrell as the Penguin for The Batman. But after seeing the movie, we absolutely buy it. Big time. Also on board for this new Farrell version of Oswald Cobblepot is HBO Max, who, have officially commissioned a series based on the iconic DC villain. This is the second The Batman spinoff for the streamer, who is also developing an Arkham Asylum series.

Most recently, Deadline revealed that Cristin Milioti has joined the Penguin series as the female lead of the show, Sofia Falcone. The publication shares that Sofia Falcone is the “daughter of Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in the film. Sofia is fighting with The Penguin (Farrell) for control of the city.”

Here’s what we know about this Colin Farrell Penguin spinoff series.

The current working title is, go figure, The Penguin, though that could change. Lauren LeFranc will write the script for the series and serve as showrunner. The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark will serve as executive producers, along with Farrell. However, Matt Reeves will not be directing the movie, per Colin Farrell.

The Penguin‘s Timeline

Though initial reports before the movie’s release made it seem like an origin story for Oswald Cobblepot, the official announcement confirms it’s a continuation of The Batman.

Matt Reeves said in a statement:

Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in The Batman, and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill.  Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.

LeFranc had this to say:

“I have long been a fan of the world of The Batman, and Matt’s film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot? I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen.”

Additionally, Farrell notes that The Penguin “starts about a week after the film The Batman ends. So Gotham is still somewhat underwater… I read the first script for the first episode, and it opens up with my feet splashing through the water in Falcone’s office. Even just that alone, I read it, I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’ It’s lovely. It’s so well-written.”

The Penguin‘s Batman Universe

Hopefully, the show will feature other Bat villains. Perhaps some that aren’t prominent enough to have a starring role in a Batman movie on their own. (We’re rooting for you, Ventriloquist and Scarface)! HBO Max is doubling down on their DC Comics-based shows. They’ve got James Gunn’s Peacemaker series, a Green Lantern show in pre-production, as well as a J.J. Abrams-produced Justice League Dark. This is on top of shows like Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn. We’d love to see new and familiar faces in this Colin Farrell Penguin series.

When the Penguin series eventually debuts, it will make three different Batman universes on the same platform. Titans feature many Gotham-based heroes, and they say the upcoming Batgirl movie is to be in the DCEU. Meanwhile, there will be two separate series tied to The Batman. Once upon a time, this might have confused general audiences. But we’re living in a Multiverse-savvy popular culture now. No word yet as to when Penguin’s solo series debuts, but per Deadline, it aims to begin production in February 2023.

Originally published December 6, 2021.

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Colin Farrell is in The Batman as the Penguin. He’s been promoting the movie and his name even appears prominently in the credits. But we never see the actor we all know and love on-screen. At least in any recognizable sort of manner. It turns out the Penguin makeup job was so convincing one of Farrell’s costars didn’t realize it was him.

The After Yang actor plays Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin, one of crime boss Carmine Falcone’s associates and operator of the Iceberg Lounge. Several of Farrell’s scenes feature other Gotham City criminals like Falcone, played by John Turturro. Before the film’s release, Farrell’s transformation into the scarred mobster was a major talking point. But it was apparently so convincing in person that Turturro didn’t realize he was staring at Farrell.

The actor told The Hollywood Reporter, “I had no idea it was him. I just thought he was some rough-looking guy. I was just staring at him. It was pretty incredible.”

Interestingly, Matt Reeves revealed that when Colin Farrell was cast as the Penguin, he was never supposed to be buried under makeup and prosthetics. Reeves told Variety he envisioned Oz as something of a Fredo-like character (John Cazale’s character from The Godfather) in The Batman‘s universe. He was already working with prosthetic makeup artist Michael Marino on designing the right Penguin-esque nose for Farrell. However, the prosthetic makeup look soon expanded after Farrell, who’d gained weight for a role, told Reeves he needed to lose it for his own health reasons.

Obviously, The Batman isn’t a fantastical superhero film. It’s a very grounded, street-level look at Gotham City and its inhabitants. So its villains couldn’t look cartoonish. Luckily Marino’s Penguin design fits in with that grounded look Reeves envisioned while allowing for a very dynamic performance from Farrell.

But while Farrell is under a lot of prosthetics and Batman himself hides behind a cowl, Carmine Falcone is also hiding behind a mask. Turturro told The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted the mob boss to have a mask of his own. For Falcone, it’s the tinted glasses. He said, “I thought, ‘I need a mask.’ And then I went to the lady where I buy all my vintage glasses and I found these glasses [worn in the film], and Matt loved them. Because a lot of those guys did wear dark glasses when they testified.”

It’s a small but very telling accessory. One that adds to the air of menace and destruction around Falcone. Even if, as The Batman suggests, his reputation is just partially what it is—an unsubstantiated reputation.

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Matt Reeves’ The Batman is arriving in theaters soon, and our anticipation is at an all-time high. Although this is the eighth solo Batman live-action film since 1989, this movie already has the record for most classic villains in one live-action Bat-film. Although you may know most of them, there’s possibly one you may have missed. Here’s the rundown on all the rogues you can expect Robert Pattinson to take on in The Batman:

The Batman’s Villains: Catwoman

Zoe Kravitz is playing Catwoman in The Batman, the first big-screen Selina Kyle since Anne Hathaway put on the mask in The Dark Knight Rises. From what we can see, this is a very Frank Miller Batman: Year One take on the feline Fatale. She’s a street-wise cat burglar extraordinaire. Even Catwoman’s costume from 2022’s The Batman looks like a cross between David Mazzucchelli’s DIY cat mask from Year One and the late Darwyn Cooke’s look from the early 2000s.

Just like most great Catwoman incarnations, a key component of her character is her romantic entanglement with the Bat. And with Bruce Wayne. Which looks to remain intact in Matt Reeves’ world. Catwoman has always straddled the line between villain and hero in Batman’s world. That looks to remain the same in The Batman. We can’t wait to see Zoe crack that whip.

The Batman’s Villains: The Riddler

The Riddler is one of Batman’s most prominent enemies to the general audience. Especially since the Batman ’66 TV show. But he has not appeared as a villain in a Batman movie since Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Well, Paul Dano’s version seems to be the polar opposite of that performance. But his version of Edward Nashton (0r Nygma) still seems to love nothing more than sending the Batman deadly conundrums. The green tights and bowler hat may be gone, replaced by something scarier. But the Riddler is still as smart and deadly a villain as before, a worthy match for Pattinson’s Batman. With just a dash more of Zodiac killer thrown in for good measure.

The Batman’s Villains: The Penguin

One of the earliest costumed criminals Batman faced after the Joker was none other than Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. But you might know him better as the Penguin. He first appeared in the pages of Detective Comics back in 1940. However, we haven’t seen the dapperly dressed bird-themed villain on the big screen since Batman Returns, thirty years ago. Tim Burton’s Penguin was a mutant, but Oswald is merely a strange-looking man with a penchant for villainy in the comics. One who just has a thing for birds. Not that Batman can throw any stones at this villain.

The version of Penguin in The Batman’s trailer looks much more like the comic book version. All thanks to an incredible makeup job that totally hides the actor’s (Colin Farrell) real features. In Matt Reeves’ version of things, Pengy is just an underworld boss with a big ol’ beak, not a guy with flippers. And that’s just how we like him. Hopefully, Farrell gets that Penguin cackle just right. Especially since we’ll see a lot more of this Batman villain when he returns in an HBO Max spin-off series.

The Batman’s Villains: Carmine Falcone

Carmine Falcone isn’t a costumed criminal, but he’s definitely the mafia Don that has had the most significant impact on Batman’s life. He first appeared as Gotham City’s most powerful crime boss in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, using the nickname “The Roman.” The head of the Falcone crime family, his story continued in the classic mystery story The Long Halloween, where Two-Face ultimately kills him.

The New 52 reboot of the line from DC Comics would ultimately undo that death, making him a recurring Batman villain. The powers that be decided that he was just too good a bad guy to waste, despite the lack of gimmicks or costumes. Despite just a handful of appearances, Falcone went on to feature in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and on the TV series Gotham. Now, he’s also in The Batman, played by John Turturro.

Could There Be Other Villains in The Batman?

Of course, whenever a Batman movie comes up, lots of speculation arises about the villains the film might feature. The Caped Crusader has a rich history of baddies that people want to see on screen again and again. And The Batman is no different in this respect. So naturally, a top question on everyone’s mind is: Will the Joker appear in 2022’s The Batman? But for now, the Clown Prince of Crime has not appeared in any of The Batman’s promotional materials.

On the one hand, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Joker won’t appear in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. But, on the other hand, the 2022 Batman film is already full of villains enough. From true evil menaces to grey area frenemies to crime bosses… That’s a lot of villains for just one Batman to take on. Even if that Batman is Robert Pattinson, complete with emo hair and an emo Batsuit. And we have to leave some foes for a sequel to The Batman, should one arise.

Only time will tell, though, whether any other Batman foes make the cut. You can see all of The Batman’s villains, and, of course, the Bat himself, when The Batman releases in theaters on March 4.

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Batman and LEGO go together like peanut butter and jelly. Heck, which other superhero got a big screen LEGO movie? And now, we’ve got our first glimpse into the official LEGO playsets for next year’s upcoming film following the caped crusader, The Batman. And every fan of the Dark Knight is going to want to get their hands on these bricks.

LEGO The Batman Batcave/The Riddler Face-off (581 Pieces)

Batman’s action-packed HQ, The Batcave, is equipped with computers, tools and welding gear for vehicle repairs. The set features six minifigures from the upcoming movie: Batman, Selina Kyle, The Riddler, The Drifter, Alfred, and Commissioner Gordon. Three elements containing coded messages from The Riddler are readable using a special magnifying glass to reveal the clues. When Batman ventures out on his motorcycle, he can disguise himself as his alter ego, The Drifter. This Batcave even has its own jail. The playset also allows the Batmobile to drive onto the ramps, ready for repairs. You can pre-order this one for $80.00 now at Walmart.

LEGO

LEGO

The Batman Batman Batmobile/The Penguin Chase (392 Pieces)

This battle-ready Batmobile features two spring-loaded shooters that launch mega missiles from the front, either simultaneously or individually, when kids press plates on the hood. The windshield and roof assembly lift off so the Batman minifigure sits in the cockpit. There’s even room for a passenger. The action can be turbocharged with the addition of blue-flame elements attached to the exhaust. The set features two minifigures: Batman, with a fabric cape, and The Penguin, with a shooter and hand-held rocket launcher, which includes an integrated stud-shooter that fires circular pieces. Pre-orders for this one at a price of $29.97 are available now.

LEGO

LEGO

The Batman: Batman & Selina Kyle Motorcycle Pursuit (149 Pieces)

Kids can take their imagination on a thrilling motorcycle ride with Batman and Selina Kyle (Catwoman). With two powerful-looking motorcycles and two minifigures, plus a Batarang, grappling gun, chain and gem element, thrilling adventures will never be far away. A glow-in-the-dark Batsignal provides extra inspiration for endless superhero stories. The free LEGO Building Instructions app contains an additional digital guide that kids can use to zoom, rotate and visualize their model. This is the most reasonably priced of the sets, coming in at $14.97. You can pre-order this one by clicking on this link.

LEGO

LEGO

The Batman: LEGO Technic Batmobile (1,360 Pieces)

For you high-end LEGO enthusiasts, there’s also this highly detailed toy car building set. It showcases a true-to-life design packed with hot features. The model includes two light bricks, one red and one yellow. The red light adds an awesome glow to the transparent toy engine at the back, while the yellow brick lights up the front grille. Other cool features include steering on the front wheels, differential on the rear wheels, a spinning flame, plus opening doors and hood. For $100, this beauty can be yours. Pre-orders are up now.

LEGO

We’re still a little bit away from the film but these sets have us more excited than ever. The Batman arrives in theaters on March 4, 2022.

The post LEGO Debuts a Quartet of New Sets Celebrating THE BATMAN appeared first on Nerdist.

The trailer for Matt Reeves’ The Batman blew our minds at FanDome this weekend. We were expecting a look at the movie but not necessarily a full teaser trailer. What a gift! And what a neat surprise, considering–as Reeves explained at the virtual fan event–they’ve only shot about a quarter of the film so far. If this is just 25 percent of what The Batman has to offer, we can’t wait to see what else is in store.

One of the things we’re most excited about when it comes to The Batman is the rogue gallery. It looks like this film is chocked full of classic Batman villains–with more to come?–and some of them are even hiding in plain sight in the trailer.

Here’s a breakdown of every villain–and possible villain–in the first trailer for The Batman and what they could bring to the story.

Pete Savage

Warner Bros. Pictures

At FanDome, Reeves spoke in depth about the corruption at the heart of Gotham City and how that plays into the film. Indeed, we see Batman’s fraught interactions with the Gotham P.D. (who will soon get their own HBO Max series) in the trailer. We also see him peering from afar at Commissioner Pete Savage, played by Alex Ferns. The character was created by Reeves and does not appear in DC Comics, although he shares his last name with supervillain Vandal Savage. That’s more than likely an homage or coincidence, however. It looks like this Savage might just be a plain ol’ corrupt commissioner who paves the way for Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to take on the role.

Selina Kyle a.k.a Catwoman

Warner Bros. Pictures

In his FanDome introduction, Reeves also said that though the film is not an origin film for Batman, it is for a few of his villains. This includes Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), the woman who will become Catwoman. We see Selina in a few shots of the trailer. In the first, she’s in her classic cat burglar attire–complete with a pointy-earred balaclava–stealing from a crime scene. It looks like the same crime scene where we also see the Riddler (more on him in a bit). Is she robbing the (presumably) dead mayor’s house? That would make sense for a burglar. Too bad for her, the Batman sees all and interrupts her later on in the trailer.

So how will Selina Kyle factor into this story? In the comics, she is in a near-constant tête-à-tête with the Caped Crusader. They are frequently enemies, sometimes lovers, occasionally allies. Considering this is the thief’s pre-Catwoman phase, we have to imagine she’ll share some sexual tension with Batman but ultimately fall on into the villain category. For now, at least.

Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin

Warner Bros. Pictures

Do you recognize this man? It’s actually Collin Farrell buried under some hella convincing prosthetics. He’s playing Oswald Cobblepot, who we’ll eventually know as the Penguin. Reeves mentioned that, at this stage, Cobblepot does not enjoy that nickname one bit. We see him a few times in the trailer. First, at a recycling plant, presumably involved in some nefarious business. And later, driving from the Batmobile yelling, “This guy’s crazy!”

In the comics, Cobblepot starts out as a low-rung member of Gotham City’s criminal underworld, but through his cunningness, eventually becomes a kingpin. Mocked for his stockiness and loathed by his aristocratic family, he has all the makings for a supervillain. His association with crime in Gotham is likely where he fits into The Batman, another foe contributing to the decay of the city.

The Riddler

Warner Bros. Pictures

The big baddy on display in the trailer is the Riddler. He’s the first villain we see, unspooling duct tape to wrap around the mayor’s face. We get a closer shot of this moment near the end of the trailer, and plenty of references in between. The puzzling card left at the first crime scene? That has Riddler written all over it. (Literally.) He appears to be the bad guy behind the recent string of murders in Gotham City, including that of Mayor Don Mitchell, Jr.

So why is he terrorizing the city? He appears to be onto something. We hear Paul Dano’s voice throughout the trailer, mocking Batman. “If you are justice please do not lie, what is the price for your blind eye?” he asks in a strange cadence. In the trailer’s postscript, he tells Batman, “You’re part of this, too,” indicting the Wayne family may have something to do with Gotham City’s corruption. Could this be related to the Court of Owls, the crime group with ties to the wealthiest families in the city? If so, The Batman may deal with Bruce’s guilty conscience over his family’s association with some of the most ghoulish machinations behind Gotham’s crime.

The Riddler, whose real name is Edward E. Nigma (or Nygma, depending on the author), is an iconic Batman villain. His obsession with leaving riddles for Batman borders on compulsion, as do his murder sprees. It appears his fixation in The Batman is to reveal some sort of conspiracy in a twisted, maniacal fashion.

The skull-face gang

Warner Bros. Pictures

At first glance, this gang appears to be a group of regular Gotham City thugs taunting Batman. But who are they really, and what do they represent? It’s one of the more puzzling questions posited in The Batman trailer. They appear to be dressed in black-and-white skull makeup. This could indicate a tie between the group and the Penguin. Are they Cobblepot’s goons, stalking through the sewers of Gotham that we know he frequents? Very possibly.

They might also be a remnant of the Joker. The Batman is set in Year Two of Batman’s role in Gotham. In the comics, Year One ends with a tease of the Joker. Is it possible he was Batman’s first off-camera foe before the events of this film? A few of the gang members appear to have faux “Glasgow smiles,” similar to Heath Ledger’s take on the character. We know the Joker’s ideology is somewhat contagious, so it would make sense that a gang spawned from his antics. (This is also in line with the Arkham City games, where the Joker has a street gang.) Maybe this is why Batman is so eager to brutalize one of the gang’s members.

Or maybe the group is the Mutants, who appear in The Dark Knight Returns. They’re another street gang terrorizing Gotham City, who face off with Batman. However, the Mutants have a very different look in canon, and are more associated with Batman’s retirement than his early days. They are also known for their advanced weaponry, which these guys do not have. (They just have iPhones.) It’s possible that they’re an early iteration, however.

We’ll find out more when The Batman hits theaters (hopefully) in 2021.

Featured Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

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