Fresh off securing an Emmy nomination, The Penguin star Colin Farrell is already looking ahead to his future in the Batman Epic Crime Saga. In an interview with Deadline, the actor revealed that he has not yet read director Matt Reeves’ script for the highly anticipated The Batman Part II but plans to sit down with it very soon. Farrell expressed excitement for Reeves’ vision of Gotham City and believes the filmmaker has crafted a compelling story to explore in the follow-up. He also acknowledged the extended wait for the finished screenplay, chalking it up to Reeves’ desire to tell the best narrative possible.
“Not yet, but I’m very close to it. I can’t wait,” Farrell said about reading the Batman Part II script. “I’m going to have to block out a few hours when that happens and really put the kettle on and put a nice cup of tea on and pay attention. Matt is an extraordinary writer and a highly intelligent artist. I will imagine that the script will be riveting and incredibly deep and he’s taken his time with it and that’s because he’s a perfectionist. I’ll be excited to read it and I’m going to read it soon.”
After debuting as Oz Cobb in 2022’s The Batman, Farrell reprised the role in last year’s The Penguin. The miniseries earned widespread critical acclaim, earning 24 Emmy nominations (including ones for Farrell and his co-star Cristin Milioti). It’s unclear if there will be a second season of The Penguin, though the creative team remains open to the possibility depending on how storylines unfold after The Batman Part II.
Though The Batman Part II was officially announced shortly after the first film premiered, it’s only just started to take some positive steps forward. Reeves recently finished the script. The prolonged development of the screenplay was the primary reason why the movie was delayed a few times before finally settling into an October 2027 release date. Similar to Farrell, DC Studios co-head James Gunn has defended Reeves’ process, imploring fans to be patient with the filmmaker.
No official cast for The Batman Part II has been announced yet, but Farrell has always believed he’ll be returning for the sequel. The Penguin helps set up The Batman 2 by showing how Oz Cobb rose up the ranks in the Gotham underworld after the Riddler’s attacks. With Penguin now in his position of power, Batman is probably going to have a thing or two to say. It remains to be seen which members of the Caped Crusader’s iconic rogues’ gallery will be seen in the sequel (Reeves has talked about wanting to bring in new foes), but it stands reason to believe Penguin will continue to have a role to play in a crime saga. Perhaps he’ll form an uneasy alliance with another villain to try to take Batman down.
Regardless of how Penguin factors into the next story, it’ll be a treat to see Farrell back in the role. He’s proven to be a perfect fit for this iteration of the classic villain, portraying him as a ruthless mobster. It’s a compelling character to watch, especially after some unsettling developments on The Penguin shed more light on his past and what he’s truly capable of. Even if the Penguin has to share the spotlight with another Batman adversary, Farrell should deliver another memorable performance in what’s quickly becoming one of the defining roles of his career.
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