The Penguin is great, but Colin Farrell's comments about 'B-hing And Moaning' on set have me worried about season 2

One of my favorite corners of the TV program 2024 has been the intense crime drama we’ve seen on HBO The penguin. It’s a formula that’s also hard to pass up, because you have an extensive teaser for one upcoming DC movie property, with a magnetic and prosthetic introduction Colin Farrell‘s Ozwald Cobb. It’s that second half that has me thinking, though, as the Irish actor has shared some of the “whining and moaning” he did on the set of the limited series. After reading these benign concerns, I’m wondering if we’ll even get a season 2 at this point.

Again, it’s not The Banshees of Inisherin star makes the experience great. While speaking to our sister publication Total Film (via GameRadar), he certainly shared his enjoyment of the experience. But take a look at what Colin Farrell had to say, and tell me this doesn’t sound like he’s in the bubble for another round:

I don’t know, man. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it – but it got to me a little. By the end of it I was whining and moaning to anyone who would listen to me about how I fucking wanted it to be finished. I tried to remind them that I had “grumpy gratitude.” I was still grateful and still honored – I grew up watching Burgess Meredith, and then Danny DeVito was my Penguin – so being part of the lineage of those stories made me feel really privileged. But towards the end of it…
Colin Farrell, Total Film

I completely understand where Mr. Farrell is coming from, as the astonishing task of transforming the slender artist into the chubbier DC Comics character we all know and love is not an easy one. And while it gives us hysterical stories, like that of The penguin’s “anatomically correct” prostheticsit puts a lot of physical and mental pressure on any actor who steps into his attributes.

In his continued comments of “grumpy gratitude” for his part in the latest cable TV hit, Colin Farrell highlights both prosthetics and makeup designer Mike Marino and showrunner Lauren LeFranc as two parties who forced him to stay in the US. The Batman epic crime saga. And even in his love for his corner of Gotham City, he explains how he went from that initial enthusiasm to questioning the future:

…when you take what Matt Reeves created and then what Lauren did and what Mike (Marino) did and put them all together, it was a very powerful experience. Lauren said, “Look, if I could find a meaningful way, would you talk about it?” And I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And maybe in a year I would. But when I was done, I thought, ‘I never want to put on that damn suit and that damn head again.’
Colin Farrell, Total Film

Reading that further bit of context, I can’t blame Colin Farrell for perhaps wanting to take a break The penguin. Of The Batman Part II He wants to prepare for recordings in the coming year and will return to that world fairly soon; albeit in a presumably more supportive role, as opposed to full leadership. His honesty is refreshing to say the least and tempered by caveats as to why he felt that way. So we probably shouldn’t expect any kind of repentance, like Daniel Craig’s regrets over his infamous James Bond comments.

Whether that is the case, we will of course have to wait and see The penguin ends in a place that obviously leads to a new season. And to do that, you’ll need access to HBO or a Maximum subscriptionas our weekly trips to Gotham take place on Sundays at 9pm ET, with the season finale airing on November 10th.