Why Colin Farrell's hesitation to do another season of 'The Penguin' is refreshing
More is not always better, ladies and gentlemen. It was a limited series after all.
If there is never a Season 2 of HBO’s The Penguin, the world will be alright. Trust me. The world of entertainment will be cool. Touching gold, or reaching for lightning in a bottle twice, comes with a price. Colin Farrell knows this.
Believe me, if there is anyone who should have a say in the matter of another installment of such a taxing-to-produce series, it’s the guy wearing the giant fat suit and having three hours of makeup and prosthetics applied to him each day before filming. It shouldn’t fall on the lap of the brilliant Matt Reeves, who should be consumed for the next 3-4 years with finishing the script for, prepping, and shooting The Batman 2.
It shouldn’t be HBO (MAX), who is enjoying the DC Studios infusion of shows with The Penguin, Peacemaker, and Creative Commandoes. James Gunn will keep that steam train moving. He will do his thing.
Farrell was asked this week after winning the Screen Actors Guild award for the role about possibly stepping into the big shoes of Oswald Cobb again, and he expressed hesitation about giving a clear answer. He leaned towards a “no way, not now anyway” rather than a “sure thing, it’ll happen.” The takeaway was that he’d like to wait it out a bit. He does have a handful of scenes in Reeves’s sequel with Robert Pattinson.
Farrell fulfilled the assignment and isn’t sure about returning. He gave a transformative performance that was everything one would dream of when thinking about the origins of Gotham’s most notorious gangster. It’s more refreshing to hear than disappointing. Here’s his full answer via Mark Malkin of Variety:
“I don’t want it. I don’t not want it,” he told me exclusively backstage at the SAG Awards. “We all left it in the ring in those eight hours. I would hate to, just because of a quote-unquote success, have to go again and for it to be a diluted version of what people seem to feel it is, majoritively. So I’m in no rush. I have no deep desire to do it. … Sure, if they think of something that works in conjunction as a parallel to Matt Reeves’ cinematic universe and it’s a good idea, I’m open to it. But it’s not something concerning me.”
For all the reasons stated above, there’s no reason to rush into that or confirm the second season. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc left it all on the table, defending the idea of a limited series and saying a follow-up will only happen with the right ideas and characters. That’s a long way of saying “probably not but we shall see.” The first season may be cold and buried in the ground, but the effects and finale details are still burning like fresh embers in people’s minds. What Farrell said about diluting the product is the real fear.
It reminds me of what Jonathan Tropper, the creator of the wonderful Banshee, said about deciding to end the show after four seasons. Cinemax had wanted more and were ready to greenlight a fifth season, but Tropper was fixed on the series finale being Antony Starr’s Lucas Hood riding out of town on a motorcycle, which is the same way he rode in during the pilot. Tropper didn’t want fans to watch a fresh season and have them like it but also acknowledge that they had seen the work before in earlier seasons.
Nobody wants a replica in something like The Penguin. Chasing after a more heartbreaking arc than Oz and Victor is a big gamble. Recruiting a movie star, award-winning turn and all, to come back for a less-than-pristine product isn’t a wise idea either.
Without saying it, Farrell isn’t looking to apply all of that latex and extra pounds only to venture off into the fray and create something recognizable. If there were more artists and creators in Hollywood who would resist the urge to produce sequels for sequel’s sake, the world of film would be much better today. The dilution is real.
What can they possibly do? Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone is in Arkham Asylum and they could do something with her and Oz, but it may not leave as big of an impact. Like her co-star, she will show up in the next Batman tale. Her and Oz had a formidable fight. They went back and forth with loyalty tests and betrayal in the first season, so what could they do moving forward with a full season?
The same for Oz’s mother, played by the dynamic and quite sexy (if I may say so with getting tased) Deirdre O’Connell. She was mentally gone at the end of round one, shattering the enigma behind the deaths of Oz’s brothers with her knowledge of it the entire time. His brothers got stuck in a water tank, and Oz locked the door. He never thought his mother knew that he did it, but she did the whole time. More than anything Sofia or any other foe did to him all season long (naked torture included), finding out your mother knew you killed your brothers is the biggest hook to the jaw.
Breaking back into that would be overcooking the narrative. Farrell knows this. LeFranc knows this. I think we all do. Appreciating the limited series for what it is-instead of adding to an already stellar recipe-is the better route. Less is more.
Now, is it possible that they can just give us a one-hour Oswald Cobb Christmas special? That we can gather chips and sit down at table on, and hope for more time with Farrell’s gangster down the road. A few scenes in the sequel will lay some ice on the taste buds for more time and then perhaps the star will be interested in returning to see if Oz has truly climbed into hell and started swimming.
Remember the rigors and rewards of a fat suit and prosthetic. An actor who regularly runs marathons can climb into the character physically rather easily if he is mentally ready to take the dive. Right now, or even in a couple years, it’s not happening.
Instead, go watch The Batman. It ages better with each viewing and offers Gotham fans a premium glimpse of the genius behind that mad hatter. A master of manipulation and sudden violence, Oz always seems to leave you wanting more.
Such is life.