“It made me sort of sick.” That’s what one 9-year-old boy named Michael Greene said about the second Tim Burton Batman movie back in 1992. Batman Returns is the first live-action movie appearance of Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin. Instead of the aristocrat from the comic books the director made Penguin a deformed monster drooling black goop. The mixture of mouthwash and food coloring dripping from Danny DeVito’s mouth was repulsive. He grunts and grumbles and bites off a person’s nose in one scene. This Penguin is nothing like the comic books.
The movie was supposed to be a box office hit like 1989’s Batman. Instead, it was vilified by critics and underperformed at the box office. Many commented on how disgusting and repulsive the Penguin is. But it got worse.
McDonald’s had planned a major merchanding push with the movie. After seeing the rough cut they balked and distanced themselves from the movie. “I think I upset McDonald’s,” Burton later said. “[They asked] ‘What’s that black stuff coming out of the Penguin’s mouth. We can’t sell Happy Meals with that!'”
Can anyone sell Penguin? Can anyone sell Riddler after Jim Carrey’s manic performance? Warner Bros thinks so.
I just got new reasons to be excited about Matt Reeves The Batman. There have been eight Batman movies. Some have been good. Some have been great and some have been terrible. But I’ve never really gotten excited by the upcoming rebootprequel of Batman by director Matt Reeves. Here’s what changed my mind.
Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon
Jeffrey Wright is one of my favorite actors but most people don’t know him. He’s wonderfully understated and his work on movies like Hunger Games and Westworld sets him apart. Commissioner Gordon is a key relationship for Batman and the one that he trusts most. Gordon is normally a grizzled veteran of and a moral compass in Gotham City’s corrupt police force. He’s also the man who trusts the vigilante, Batman. This is a major role.
While it’s cool Gordon is going to be played by an African-American I’m even more excited that the actor may finally get him a role in a big-budget movie that doesn’t make him a bit player.
There were rumors of his casting for a while but the director confirmed it from his personal Twitter account.
Tweet! #Gordon 🦇 pic.twitter.com/O4PBX7MmuH
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) October 30, 2019
This would be the third live-action movie version of Commissioner Gordon. He was first played by Lyle Talbot for the 1949 15-episode movie serial Batman and Robin. Then veteran character actor Pat Hingle played Commissioner Gordon in the first Batman (1989) movie and the sequels. He was followed by Gary Oldman for Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. Spider-Man actor J. K. Simmons plays James Gordon in the Justice League film.
It’s a wonderfully sideways casting and shows Reeve’s is thinking outside of the box for this movie. Wright has the gravitas to bring Gordon to life in a new and exciting way.
Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth
One of the other close allies for Bruce Wayne is his confidant and butler Alfred Pennyworth. He’s the man who helps Batman behind the scenes although he’s occasionally come along for missions.
Andy Serkis is best known for his performance capture roles in movies like Cesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). But he’s a renowned stage actor who regularly performed Shakespeare plays. He can pull off Alfred in a wonderful way.
Plus his experience in action movies like Black Panther means he can also take his portrayal of Batman’s manservant to the next level. He could make Alfred into an action hero It’s exciting to imagine the possibilities.
Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin
This is the casting rumor that has me the most excited. It shows that Matt Reeves really gets the character. Most people think of Penguin from Batman Returns as the grotesquely fat monstrosity. But he hasn’t always been that way. Oswald’s first appearance in Detective Comics #58 (1941) shows a man in a suit with a slight paunch to emulate the slightly round build of real penguins. The 1960’s Batman series cast Burgess Meredith in a tuxedo and fake belly to play Penguin. Recently, the Batman prequel show Gotham cast the slim Robin Lord Taylor as Cobblepot.
Reports showed that the studio originally wanted Josh Gad to play Penguin, but he apparently left the project due to creative differences. Gad is not a slim guy.
But the new rumor is the studio is negotiating to cast Colin Farrell as Penguin. Farrell is an award-winning actor, but also played the manic villain named Bulleye in Ben Affleck’s Daredevil. This casting is amazing to me because it shows Reeves gets Penguin. He’s not just going to be a fat guy running around with trick umbrellas.
They’ll join Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle / Catwoman and Paul Dano as Edward Nashton / The Riddler. Maybe after decades of a sickening Penguin on the big screen, we’ll finally get the Rogue’s Gallery Batman deserves.
About The Batman (2021)
Directed by Matt Reeves
“The Batman” stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, and Jeffrey Wright
“The Batman” is scheduled for release June 21, 2021 (United States)
Check back with the Geek Twins for more The Batman movie news and hype!
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About the Author Maurice Mitchell has been a passionate science-fiction fan of movies, television, books, and comics since age five. He and his twin brother Nigel created the site “The Geek Twins” to share that passion. Maurice has written and created infographics for sites like The Geek Twins and About.com. His work has been featured on sites like Business Insider, io9 Slashfilm and more. Read more of his posts | Follow him on Twitter @Mauricem1972 |
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