Matt Reeves Reveals Which Batman Games Influenced The Penguin

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Matt Reeves Reveals Which Batman Games Influenced The Penguin

Key Takeaways

  • The Penguin series serves as an origin story, showing the character’s journey before becoming a criminal kingpin.
  • The series takes inspiration from DC comics, introducing Oz Cobb with a unique costume design.
  • Matt Reeves found inspiration for The Penguin from various media, including Telltale’s Batman game.

As a seasoned gamer who’s seen more Batman iterations than I can count, I must say that The Penguin series has truly stood out for me. The way it delves into Oswald Cobblepot’s origin story is both captivating and authentic, blending elements from DC comics with a unique twist inspired by the Telltale Batman game.

In this fresh and exciting rendition, we delve into the backstory of Oswald Cobblepot, affectionately known as “The Penguin.” This story is nestled within the same universe as Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” drawing heavily from the DC comics. However, elements from a popular Batman video game have also left their mark on the character’s development.

In a new HBO miniseries, we find ourselves delving into the early days of Colin Farrell’s character, Oz Cobb, who was initially presented in Reeve’s 2022 superhero movie. Unlike his notorious comic book persona as a criminal mastermind, in this series, Oz is still climbing the ranks among Gotham City’s underworld figures. The story follows Oz as he squares off against formidable rivals, Sofia Falcone and Sal Maroni, with “The Penguin” depicting his transformation. Farrell’s costume and makeup for this role are distinctive yet echo the Penguin’s comic book character, seamlessly fitting into Reeves’ dark and gritty Gotham City setting.

One Batman Game Inspired Matt Reeves For The Penguin

Reeves drew inspiration from multiple places when refining the Penguin’s appearance. Throughout the years, The Penguin has been portrayed in various ways – such as Danny DeVito’s character in “Batman Returns,” his numerous roles within Batman’s rogues gallery, and across several Batman video games. In an interview with Andy Serkis for Interview Magazine, Reeves shared how he developed the Penguin’s design for his interpretation of Batman’s universe. According to Reeves, they arrived at the final look in a surprising manner. “We unexpectedly landed on [the Penguin’s appearance],” Reeves stated. “… In my exploration of the comics, I discovered that all major villains create themselves in response to Batman.

In a surprising disclosure, Reeves admitted he harbored uncertainties concerning Farrell’s ability to embody the appearance needed for The Penguin. However, one Batman game served as a persuasive argument. “There was a character portrayal of The Penguin in video games by Telltale, who bears a resemblance to Colin. He’s quite handsome, but something happens to his nose during an altercation, giving it a beak-like appearance. I was searching for that vulnerability.

When addressing your query about Colin’s appearance, we hadn’t anticipated him looking the way he does, as he was coming from a movie. He intentionally gained weight for the role, and my initial reaction was, “Oh.” Interestingly, there’s a Penguin character from video games called Telltale who bears some resemblance to Colin. His nose is affected in an incident, making it more beak-like. I was searching for that sense of vulnerability. Since Colin is very handsome, the goal was to find a way to alter his appearance subtly to showcase that vulnerability.

2016 and 2017 saw the release of two episodic point-and-click Batman games by Telltale. These games alternate between playing as Batman and Bruce Wayne, emphasizing decision-making gameplay and detective abilities. In these games, Penguin is a significant antagonist in a group called Children of Arkham. However, the game introduces an interesting twist to the Batman universe: Oswald Cobblepot was actually a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne’s. Jason Spisak (from Arcane) voiced this character, and as Reeves noted, the design of Oswald in the Telltale series deviates significantly from the usual depiction. In these games, Penguin is portrayed as a young man without a limp or top hat, offering an innovative take on the character.

The game demonstrated that a single character can have various interpretations, and it convinced Reeves that Farrell was well-suited for the role, which ultimately proved to be an excellent decision. Though some fans (even his co-stars) failed to recognize Farrell beneath his Penguin disguise, there’s no denying that he has made the part uniquely his own, resulting in great success.

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2024-11-10 23:13