Similar to DeVito’s penguin in Tim Burton’s 1992 Batman Returns, Farrell also wore heavy prosthetics for his depiction in The Batman, an aspect that made the actor pretty much impossible to recognize in the role. But what separates Farrell’s particular portrayal from DeVito’s is that his version of the crime boss feels much more realistic and grounded, as it matches the overall tone the film set out to achieve.

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Speaking with The Wrap about his upcoming HBO film, The Survivor, DeVito was asked if he was able to catch what Farrell was able to cook up in The Batman, to which the veteran actor then spoke highly of his role. “Yes, I did. I thought Colin did a great job,” DeVito shared. “Certainly a different milieu. I think it was a more edgy, serious, gangster-y Batman. Of course there’s three Italians who are bad guys in it, the Falcones (laughs). But I feel like in terms of the performances, I thought Colin – who is a good buddy of mine – I think he did a great job in that. You take your hat off to anybody who sits in the makeup chair that long. I did it with The Penguin and loved it.”

While DeVito had nothing but high praise for Farrell and the film, he admitted he still favors Burton’s universe and the more gothic take on the characters and Gotham City. “My feeling of comparing the two movies, I’m like a Tim Burton fan,” DeVito added. “I like the whimsical, the operatic, the disaffected Pee-wee Herman throws me off a bridge (laughs). That makes me smile. So it’s a different situation, but I did watch the movie." DeVito of course is referring to the opening scene where Pee-wee actor Paul Reubens throws a deformed baby off a bridge and into a river, kicking off the origin story for the penguin.

While there’s a lot of respect for what DeVito was able to accomplish in his version of the role, Reeves knew that he wanted to give the Penguin a more realistic look that harkens back to classic gangster films and mafia bosses. “I thought John Cazale has a kind of Penguin nose. I thought, well, maybe there’s something visually that we do. I saw him as being almost like a throwback Warner Bros. gangster,” Reeves told Variety.

Despite having limited screen time in The Batman, fans will get plenty of Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin when he returns for his own spin-off series for HBO Max. Although still early in development, what Reeves has shared about the upcoming project is that it will have a Scarface-esque story that will see the Penguin climb to the top of the criminal underworld as he tries to achieve the mythic status as seen in the comics.

The Batman is now playing in theatres and will premiere on HBO Max on April 18.

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Source: The Wrap