That really is Colin Farrell as Penguin in The Batman trailer
Nothing fishy here: Colin Farrell is playing Penguin
The Batman may have literal riddles to deal with but one of the biggest mysteries from the FanDome trailer revolved around the identity of a portly middle-aged man who was spied midway through.
Was that Colin Farrell playing Penguin? As it turns out, it actually is the Irish actor as the iconic Batman villain, so we know who’s got Best Makeup at the Oscars sewn up in 2022.
Penguin is seen twice during The Batman trailer. Once, glowering in the rain and the second time seemingly includes him on the run from Batman and muttering “This guy’s crazy!” as the Caped Crusader gives chase.
But Oswald Cobblepot isn’t the Penguin by the time we meet him, as director Matt Reeves revealed at FanDome. "Oz is not yet the kingpin that he's going to become," he said. "The Penguin, in fact, doesn't like being called the Penguin.”
As you can imagine, the internet lost their mind at the thought of a prosthetic-heavy Colin Farrell playing Penguin, especially given how hard he was to miss in the trailer.
Comparisons to character actor Richard Kind ran rife, plus we even got a few people asking why Farrell was caked in makeup. The internet demands a sexy Penguin because... reasons.
Really thought this was Richard Kind in the BATMAN trailer but it’s Colin Farrell in Penguin makeup pic.twitter.com/9Aj3Vhbl97August 23, 2020
Wait is Twitter messing with me or is this really Colin Farrell as Penguin in the Batman trailer? If so this is one of the best transformation makeups I've ever seen? pic.twitter.com/egV9AMgosyAugust 23, 2020
Why can't Colin Farrell be a sexy penguin? It's high time that really attractive people are portrayed as the amoral villains they usually are in the real world.August 23, 2020
People: Colin Farrell? As the Penguin? But he’s too pretty!DC: Hold my beer#TheBatman #Batman pic.twitter.com/6liPEomyjKAugust 23, 2020
For more from DC FanDome, check out our round-up of The Batman panel, plus behind-the-scenes footage of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, and even the very first trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The Batman is scheduled to reach cinemas in October, 2021.
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I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.