Perfect Response to Colin Farrell’s THE…

August Tales

Before having a chance to debut, potential for “The Penguin’s” second season was already cloudy. This isn’t pegged to early critiques of the spinoff series, which are actually pretty stellar. Budget concerns don’t weigh in either, at least for now. The real snag? Leading man Colin Farrell’s reluctance to don the extensive prosthetics required for the role.

Farrell confessed that he found himself saying, “I never want to put that fing suit and that fing head on again.” We certainly can’t blame him for his stance. But there is a possible way to keep his Oswald Cobblepot character living in Gotham without having to endure long makeup sessions. An alternate version of the Batman villain, the Emperor Penguin, is a match for Colin Farrell’s natural features.

An Unlikely Choice

Choosing Colin Farrell to play The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ The Batman might have initially seemed odd. But it actually panned out brilliantly. The Irish star vouched for his expertise, morphing into a street-savvy American mobster. His presence was both menacing and amusing—a perfect fit for Gotham City in Reeves’ portrayal. This transformation, however, was no solo act.

Movie magic of world-class standards facilitated Farrell’s physical metamorphosis into his role. Without such knowledge, you’d be oblivious to the fact that the figure hobbling around, marred by scars, was Farrell. Even his co-star John Turturro wasn’t convinced it was him!

Yet donning such extensive prosthetics daily requires significant patience and energy. A lead role in an eight-episode TV series demands a starkly higher frequency of prosthetic application compared to a supporting film role. Farrell’s exhaustion from the process was thus unsurprising. The surprise? His initial readiness to embrace the role fully with all its demanding accessories.

A Potential Début

Even though Reeves confirmed The Penguin’s feature in The Batman 2, a second spinoff season isn’t necessarily a guarantee for Farrell. More time under those burdensome prosthetics might be too steep a price. But Farrell staying true to his face might offer a solution.

Delving into the story of Batman villain Ignatius Ogilvy could present the key. Ignatius Ogilvy and Bruce Wayne share the grim memory of their parents’ murders outside a theater. Ignatius, son of a small-time crook, took this experience as a call to his underworld career. Joining The Penguin’s crew as a henchman, he eventually became Oz Cobblepot’s most trusted lieutenant. Seizing the chance to rise higher, he overthrew his boss, renamed himself Emperor Penguin, and started taking superhuman drugs.

Coincidentally, this escalation occurred before Ignatius—later known as Emperor Blackgate—turned blue, and he bore an eerie resemblance to a blond Colin Farrell.

The Double Act

Colin Farrell as Oz Cobblepot might have seemed a stretch, but his resemblance to Ignatius is uncanny. The Penguin’s creators don’t necessarily have to eliminate Oz to facilitate the switch. Farrell seamlessly stepping into both roles could be an option. Adapting Emperor Penguin’s story also works. Penguin’s ambition to become Gotham’s premier underworld boss will eventually make him Batman’s primary target. If Oswald obtains power, he might need a new identity sooner than later.

Pricey plastic surgery with his new wealth could grant him a fresh start as Ignatius. Rebuilding from scratch could be easier than maintaining an empire as Oz. Between the fans’ love for Farrell’s Penguin, and the towering identity that he brought to the role, his continuation as Penguin in some form is paramount. If prosthetics get too challenging to manage, the prospective Emperor Penguin is more than an acceptable compromise. Especially if both characters prove to be one in the same.