Colin Farrell's Penguin Spin-Off Wouldn't Have Happened Without Makeup Artist Mike Marino
Colin Farrell might have appeared in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" for just a few scenes — he had less than 10 minutes of screentime — but the actor underwent a complete transformation to play Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot, aka The Penguin. Each day prior to filming, Farrell spent four hours in the makeup chair; that's how elaborate the prosthetics were.
When we last saw the DC Comics mobster at the end of "The Batman," he was looking over the flooded, chaos-ridden city of Gotham from a window, which seemed to suggest the supervillain would be in the running to take over the throne of the city's dangerous underworld. After all, someone has to fill the void now that his old boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) is gone.
DC fans will get to witness that rise in "The Penguin," HBO Max's spin-off series based on the character that is set to arrive before the sequel to "The Batman." There's a lot to look forward to, and Farrell is crediting his makeup artist Mike Marino for his foray into television and the character's success.
Marino's work was the inspiration
In addition to leading the "Batman" spin-off series, Farrell is also set to serve as an executive producer on the HBO Max project, alongside "The Batman" director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark.
Colin Farrell is excited about fully exploring The Penguin, but the "Banshees of Inisherin" star would've never even brought up the idea of a spin-off series with Clark were it not for the work of the film's makeup artists — the Oscar-nominated Michael Marino and Emmy-nominated Mike Fontaine.
Speaking with Variety, Farrell said: "Honest to god, any thought I had about an extended series was to do with Mike Marino's work. I just knew there was so much to do with it — age it up, age it down. He's just such a genius, Mike, so it was his work that was the inspiration, really."
The Penguin prosthetics were so good, in fact, that people didn't even bat an eye when Farrell took a stroll in the real world.
The disguise makes Farrell unrecognizable
After his first makeup test, Farrell visited Starbucks in his Penguin disguise to see if he'd get a reaction out of people — but he didn't get one. Clearly, the work of Marino and Fontaine is incredibly effective; they made the Penguin look like any other guy.
"They're cool about it in Ireland. People don't be looking ... People don't be paying as much attention as you think!"
Set to begin filming in early 2023, "The Penguin" picks up a week after the events of "The Batman," with Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) — daughter of mob boss Carmine Falcone — set as the rival and female lead opposite Oz Cobblepot. Farrell previously teased the first episode and its opening shot:
"It starts about a week after 'The Batman' ends, so Gotham is still, somewhat, underwater. I read the first script of the first episode and it opens up on my feet splashing through the water in Falcone's office. Even that alone, when I read it, I was like, 'Oh, Jesus!'"
The HBO Max spin-off series is setting up to be an intriguing depiction of Gotham's next set of supervillains, as they fight to take over the city's crime world. In the comics, Oz and Sofia are prolific mob bosses — and it's going to be fascinating to see them battle head-on in "The Penguin."