The Batman: Colin Farrell says he'll only appear as Penguin in "five or six scenes"

Colin Farrell has played down the extent of his role as the Penguin in The Batman.

"I'm only in it for five or six scenes, so I can't wait to see the film because it won't be ruined by my presence," he told the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. "Really, it's a freebie for me. I'll get a little bit uncomfortable for the fucking nine minutes I have, and then the rest of it, I cannot wait to see how he [Matt Reeves, director] brought this world to life, because the sets were extraordinary, the production design [was] extraordinary, his use of music and sound will be extraordinary, and as you said the cast, from, all of them, Robert [Pattinson] and Zoë [Kravitz] to – yeah, extraordinary cast."

He added: "I only had, as I said, five or six scenes, or seven scenes, and I wasn't quite – I was at the early stages of looking at what I felt I could do or bring to it, I was at a bit of a loss. And then, when I saw what Mike [Marino, makeup artist] did, the whole character made sense to me. I swear to God, I saw what he did, and I just went 'okay, okay.' And I got really excited about it. All that to say that if anyone ever thinks what I do in Batman is a decent performance, I'll gladly take 49 percent of the credit."

Farrell also explained that he chose to wear a body suit for the role rather than undergo a physical transformation after his experience putting on weight to appear in TV series The North Water, and praised Marino as a "genius."

Along with Farrell, The Batman stars Pattinson in the titular role, Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Paul Dano as the Riddler. Jeffrey Wright also stars as Commissioner Gordon, while John Turturro portrays Carmine Falcone.

Not much is known about the plot just yet, but the first teaser trailer for the movie hints at a dark mystery. Plenty of set photos have also hit the internet, showing the cast, including Kravitz, Farrell and Pattinson, in costume, as well as some intriguing posters around Gotham City, and what looks to be a Halloween party. 

There's also a spinoff TV show on the way focusing on corruption within the Gotham City Police Department.

The Batman is due for release March 4, 2022. Until then, check out our guide to watching DC movies in order for the ultimate movie marathon.