Colin Farrell’s Penguin Transformation Confused Jeffrey Wright on ‘The Batman’ Set

Ryan Lattanzio
·2 min read

Last weekend, the internet was set ablaze by DC FanDome, the virtual comic event touting a new slate of superhero films, and so much more. But perhaps the hottest topic was the first look at Matt Reeves’ 2021 DC tentpole “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight in his early days.

One aspect of the trailer that left fans stunned, and even a little perplexed, was the first footage revealing Colin Farrell’s transformation into the Penguin. The actor, as you can easily see in the shots provided, is almost totally unrecognizable. And that double-take moment many fans had was also shared by Farrell’s co-star Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner Gordon in the new movie.

Speaking on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” — via Comic Book — Wright said he didn’t recognize his co-star thanks to the astonishing prosthetic makeup work of artist Mike Marino.

“I’ve worked with that makeup artist before and it’s just incredible. Colin walked on to set one day and I walked right passed him [laughs] I was like, ‘OK, hey dude what’s happening, where’s Colin? Are we going to shoot?’ It was, it’s pretty remarkable,” Wright said.

Marino’s previous makeup credits include “The Irishman,” “Black Swan,” “The Dead Don’t Die,” and “I Am Legend” on the big screen, as well as “Boardwalk Empire,” “I Know This Much Is True,” and “True Detective” on the small screen.

“The Batman” marks the first live-action take on the Penguin since Danny DeVito’s macabre, black-ink-spewing iteration in Tim Burton’s 1992 “Batman Returns.” Also featured in “The Batman” are Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.

Writer and director Matt Reeves said during the panel that “The Batman” is decidedly not an origin story, but it is a return to Batman’s roots. “The thing I related to in the Batman story is that he isn’t a superhero in the traditional sense,” Reeves said. “If he has a superpower, it’s the ability to endure. … He’s a very alive character, and to tell a version of Batman that wasn’t about how he became Batman, but the early days of being Batman… to see it in new ways, that was a way to do something that hasn’t been done.”

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