The first teaser trailer of The Penguin – the next chapter in DC’s Batman universe – was released yesterday, thrilling fans of the superhero franchise.
Because, while there is still some time until the series is released – it lands in the UK in autumn – the new teaser truly sets the tone of the forthcoming HBO Max series: it’s eerie, dark, gloomy and full of violence. Plus, it’s now been two years since the last Batman film was released – and fans are more than ready to find out what happens next.
The Penguin is going to follow the life and crimes of mob boss Oswald Cobblepot, who comes to be known as the Penguin, as he rises to power in Gotham. Often listed as one of the best comic book villains of all time, Penguin is cruel, full of range, constantly surrounded by violent henchmen, and a master manipulator – aka not someone to cross lightly.
While the finer details of the plot are still being kept under wraps, the new teaser clip provided a glimpse of what we may come to expect in the new series. Here are five things we learnt from the teaser.
Colin Farrell is going to steal the show
The Penguin
Official teaser, Sky Atlantic
We all know that Colin Farrell, 47, is an excellent actor: he’s been nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), and has won and been nominated dozens of other awards including Golden Globe awards and BAFTA awards. His roles in films and TV series run the gamut, from roles as angry gangsters, to malevolent police detectives, to surgeons – all excellent.
But perhaps this is his most exciting role yet. And although we already saw Farrell play the Penguin in Reeves’s The Batman (2022), he had to share the screen with other acting powerhouses, including Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis. In the new series this isn’t the case. His transformation is, once again, truly remarkable and judging by the trailer, the role is set to be one of the most important of his career.
“I swear to God, I still cannot see Colin Farrell under that makeup no matter how hard I squint. Probably one of the best makeup jobs in the history of cinema,” commented one fan under the teaser clip, summarising the general sentiment about Farrell’s phenomenal embodiment of the mobster.
There are some exciting co-stars
Having said that, the new clip does very briefly introduce a few of Farrell’s co-stars, and the cast is set to be quite star-studded. We get a glimpse of a haunted-looking Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) who will play Sofia Falcone, the daughter of late crime boss Carmine Falcone. And there are also very quick shots of Clancy Brown (Billions) as mob boss Sal Maroni, Michael Zegen as Sofia’s brother Alberto, and Michael Kelly as Falcone underboss Johnny Vitti.
We also know from previous announcements that actors including Mark Strong, François Chau (Lost), Carmen Ejogo (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy) and James Madio (Band of Brothers) will also feature in undisclosed roles.
You’re going to need to watch the series in a dark room
The Penguin
Official teaser, Sky Atlantic
In the one 1.5 minute trailer, there are just a few scenes where a kind of orange haze ripples behind a skyline, glimmering through window panes, or reflecting off a building’s façade. And this is really the extent of the light in the forthcoming series. Most of the scenes are composed of shades of black, grey and dark browns – the Penguin’s face is almost a grimy dark yellow, or green; Gotham is depicted at nighttime, the skies are grey and it’s raining.
It’s a brilliant way to really bring home the fact that Gotham is an unhappy, dangerous, crime-ridden place.
The plot is going to be dark and disturbing
OK, perhaps this doesn’t really need to be said, because anyone who know Mett Reeves’s body of work – or saw the last Batman film – knows that the director makes seriously atmospheric and violet films: Reeves’s previous movies include the terrifying Cloverfield (2008) and the ambitious Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014).
Nevertheless, the trailer is strikingly tense, setting the tone for the forthcoming series, as the Penguin speaks to an unknown character sitting just behind the camera, as knives are wielded, explosions fill the city sky, someone shoots a tied up body, as fights break out in cars and as a woman screams. Not for the faint-hearted.
Rex “the Lion” Calabrese, is a real character from the comics
The Penguin
Official teaser, Sky Atlantic
In the trailer the Penguin is talking to someone out of shot about the legendary gangster Rex “the Lion” Calabrese.
“When I was a kid, there was a gangster, a real old school type,” says the Penguin. “Rex Calabrese. He was a big deal. He helped people. When I was 14 or something… he has a heart attack and dies. They do a parade in his honour. A fricking parade. It wasn’t fancy, but it was a gesture. A show of love.
“Can you imagine, to be remembered like that?”
The scene indicates that the Penguin is going to try and reach the same level of notoriety. Happily for interested fans, Rex Calabrese is a real character from the comic book, so we can get more a sense of what this might entail.
Rex Calabrese was a mob boss whose reign of terror in Gotham took place before Batman entered the scene. He was a major player in the underworld, but was eventually pushed out by Carmine Falcone’s gang, ending up in jail, in hiding, and living under a fake identity.
In the comic books, Calabrese never tries to make a big return, but encourages his long-lost daughter Selina – yes you guessed it… Catwoman – to cause havoc in Gotham.
The Penguin will be release in the UK in autumn