Anna Daniels
Batman‘s rogues’ gallery is one of the most famous in comic book history, featuring such a wide variety of colorful and unique villains that the Caped Crusader is often in danger of being overshadowed. But while the comics can pack each frame with rogues and still keep Batman as the star, movies are often in danger of becoming unwieldy with more than three villains.
Which is why people are eying Matt Reeves‘ The Batman with such interest: the superhero movie starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader is set to feature a smorgasbord of famous Batman villains, including Catwoman, the Riddler, Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and possibly more. How could Reeves possibly juggle so many big personalities in one film? Colin Farrell, who plays the devious businessman the Penguin, reveals that it may not be too difficult in regards to his character, who won’t have a major role in the film.
In an interview with GMA News, Farrell revealed that he doesn’t have “that much to do ” in The Batman, in which he stars as Batman villain Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin. However, he does mention “a couple of some tasty scenes I have in it” that could reassure some fans worried that another major franchise will put Farrell’s charisma to waste:
“I had only started it and I can’t wait to get back. The creation of it, the aesthetic of the character, has been fun and I really am so excited to get back and explore it. And I haven’t got that much to do. I have a certain amount in the film. I am not all over it by any means. But there are a couple of some tasty scenes I have in it and my creation and I can’t wait to get back. Yeah, I totally feel like it is something that I have not had the opportunity to explore before. It feels original and fun. But I am only at the start of the journey so I can’t wait to get back and really get into it.”
The last time a Batman film featured so many major rogues was the overstuffed Batman and Robin, whose clunky use of three Batman villains — Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Bane — unofficially established the precedent that the more villains you have, the worse your movie is. Even with so many iconic rogues in the film, Batman and Robin ended up turning Bane into a glorified henchman, which would be the major fear here, especially since Farrell suggests he doesn’t play a major role in The Batman. But Reeves is a talented director with a handle on sprawling genre epics, so I doubt he will turn Farrell’s Penguin into little more than a henchman. Given The Batman‘s reported film noir framework, it’s likely he’ll turn up as many characters in a noir do: in a scene-stealing scene with some important information, never to be seen again.
Reeves previously commented on the multiple villains in the film, telling THR, “You can’t have Batman without a villain. There will be a rogues gallery.”
The Batman also stars Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, John Turturro as crime boss Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as new character Gotham District Attorney Gil Colson, and newcomer Jayme Lawson as a mayoral candidate named Bella Reál.
The Batman is currently slated for release on October 1, 2021, after being pushed back from an earlier summer date.
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