Our first good look at The Batman trailer came during DC FanDome and it brought the goods. Writer/director Matt Reeves was on hand for a virtual panel, pulling back the curtain on his highly-anticipated DC Comics adaptation. Up to this point, much of what Reeves had been cooking up has been cloaked in mystery. No longer. The first trailer revealed footage of the movie and, in a couple of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments, we seemingly get our first taste of the new iteration of Penguin. Played by Colin Farrell, the actor is downright unrecognizable in the initial trailer. Assuming it is indeed him.
There are a couple of quick shots of what appears to be the actor as Penguin in the teaser. Though nobody would be blamed for not recognizing Colin Farrell, as he is in heavy prosthetics to play the part. While the The Batman trailer makes it obvious that Paul Dano’s Riddler will be the main villain that Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader will need to contend with, several villains will be along for the ride and Farrell’s new take on Oswald Cobblepot is among them. At one point, there is a car chase involving Penguin, offering our first taste of the character’s dialogue.
“This guy’s crazy!”
What is truly amazing is that the movie had only been in production for about seven weeks before filming was shut down earlier this year. According to Matt Reeves, only about 25 to 30 percent of it has been shot. Be that as it may, this was a thoroughly packed teaser that contained not only a great look at Robert Pattinson’s Batman but the members of the character’s rogues gallery who will be along for the ride. This also includes Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. Though she is much easier to identify in the footage. Colin Farrell underwent a truly remarkable transformation. As for Paul Dano’s Riddler, his face was covered but the actor’s voice was quite clear.
The cast also includes Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games) as the GCPD’s James Gordon, John Turturro (Transformers) as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard (The Magnificent Seven) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson, Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) as Officer Stanley Merkel, Jayme Lawson (Farewell Amor) as mayoral candidate Bella Real and Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as Alfred. Matt Reeves is producing alongside Dylan Clark. Simon Emanuel, Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada and Chantal Nong Vo are on board as executive producers. Reeves, in addition to his duties directing, co-wrote the screenplay.
While a full synopsis has yet to be revealed, the movie will center on Batman during his second year on the job in Gotham City. It will be a noir-influenced detective story, which was very much backed up by the footage showcased at DC Fandome. Filming is expected to resume in the U.K. next month. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are revealed. The Batman is currently set to hit theaters on October 1, 2021, from Warner Bros. Be sure to check out the first look at Penguin for yourself.
