Colin Farrell is unrecognizable in the best way ever in the trailer for “The Penguin,” released by HBO Sunday.
After a year of basically no new entertainment during the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes, fans of the “Batman” universe are in for an absolutely fantastic year with both “The Penguin” and “Joker: Folie À Deux” hitting the small and big screens. The trailer for “The Penguin” dropped in full on Sunday night. And it seems like it’ll be Colin Farrell’s greatest character in his already esteemed career.
We’re introduced to a far darker, more sinister Penguin, a total Tony Soprano compared to our childhood with Danny DeVito in the role. The description doesn’t offer much, other than telling us to “tear down the empire from the inside out.”
Farrell is utterly transformed into the role, becoming the pure embodiment of Penguin. He’s set a whole new standard, not so dissimilar to Heath Ledger’s “Joker. Not even his hands were missed, with swollen prosthetics perhaps to match his chunky, rotten face. And yet beneath this hideous exterior, Farrell is the most endearing and watchable leading man. (RELATED: Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer Drops, Exploding The Internet)
I bet Farrell never thought one of his greatest character would arguably be his ugliest. Even his voice is so stunningly different.
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 31: Colin Farrell is seen during a scene at ‘The Penguin’ set on January 31, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 31: Craig Walker and Colin Farrell are seen during a scene at ‘The Penguin’ set on January 31, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Colin Farrell attends the Photo Call for Apple TV+’s “Sugar” at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on March 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 05: Colin Farrell attends the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on January 05, 2023 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Society)
He’s not alone in his expertise. Farrell is joined by Cristin Milioti, who many of us know from “How I Met Your Mother,” as well as Clancy Brown, Mark Strong, Michael Kelly, and “Sons of Anarchy” star Theo Rossi, as well as many, many more.
The series premieres on September 19 on HBO. It cannot come soon enough, and let us pray it lives up to this insane hype. I can’t imagine it won’t.
