Danny DeVito has shared his verdict on The Batman’s version of the Penguin.
DeVito starred as the villainous Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin in Burton’s 1992 Batman Returns opposite Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Director Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which DeVito called “a more edgy, serious, gangster-y Batman”, stars Collin Farrell as a new incarnation of the Penguin. Robert Pattinson plays Batman.
“I thought Colin did a great job,” DeVito told The Wrap, cautiously adding that the film is “certainly a different milieu” to Burton’s “whimsical” version.
“I’m a Tim Burton fan,” DeVito added, praising the “disaffected” cameo of Paul Reubens – known for his comic character Pee-wee Hermans – in particular. Reubans, who plays The Penguin’s father, throws his deformed child off a bridge, which kicks off the Penguin’s villain origin story. “That makes me smile,” DeVito said.
Farrell is unrecognisable as the Penguin in Reeves’ three-hour-long blockbuster, which earned £97.2m at the box office in its opening weekend. Farrell’s makeup transformation reportedly took four hours.
DeVito commented: “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.”
Farrell’s performance received rave reviews, with Warner Brothers seconding his performance by announcing a Penguin-centred spin-off series for HBO Max. Farrell will reportedly star and executive produce.
