HBO‘s The Penguin has yet to debut, but we couldn’t help but wonder if star Colin Farrell would explore the continuation of his titular character’s story in future episodes when we caught up with him on the red carpet for the series New York City premiere on September 17th.
Farrell debuted as the infamous comic book villain in 2022’s The Batman, which introduced Robert Pattinson‘s iteration of Bruce Wayne, and he’s already slated to return for the forthcoming sequel. While The Penguin has been ordered as a limited series, kicking off on Thursday, September 19th, Farrell appears to be open to the possibility of expanding Oz Cobb’s story with additional episodes.
Colin Farrell says he would come back for another season of #ThePenguin on @HBO pic.twitter.com/vlI67HqaJo
— TV Insider (@TVInsider) September 17, 2024
“I mean, it was only ever designed as an eight-part limited [series], but yeah, I mean, I’d be open to anything for sure,” Farrell told TV Insider while on the carpet. “I had a great time doing it.”
“I mean… I was ready to walk away from it by the end,” Farrell acknowledged, hinting at the challenges of being under heavy prosthetics and makeup for the eight-episode filming slate. “There was no complaints in work, it was just anyone who’d listen, I was like, ‘I’m just sick of being under this thing,’ Farrell recalled.
“But [he] is an extraordinary character,” the actor went on to say. “It’s why it survived 80 or 90 years of various incarnations.” Farrell went on to acknowledge Burgess Meredith, Robin Lord Taylor, and Danny DeVito who have played past versions of the Penguin in other Batman projects.
“Now I get to walk in their shoes, which is a great honor, but for sure I’d be open to it,” Farrell concludes. Whether The Penguin will carry on in a series will remain to be seen, but for now, fans can look forward to eight hours of fun with Gotham’s famous villain.
The Penguin, Series Premiere, Thursday, September 19th, 9pm ET/PT, HBO and Max