THE BATMAN Star Colin Farrell Reveals Why We Won't See The Penguin Smoke In The Movie

THE BATMAN Star Colin Farrell Reveals Why We Won't See The Penguin Smoke In The Movie

The Batman star Colin Farrell has revealed that Warner Bros. put its foot down and wouldn't let him light up one of The Penguin's signature cigars in Matt Reeves' DC Comics adaptation. Read on for details.

By JoshWilding - Feb 23, 2022 06:02 AM EST
Filed Under: The Batman
Source: Jake's Takes

If you've ever read a comic book featuring The Penguin, chances are you'll be all too familiar with the sight of Oswald Cobblepot puffing on a cigar. In The Batman, Colin Farrell has been transformed into one of the most comic accurate versions of the villain we've ever seen on screen, and while we find him at an early stage in his criminal career, his umbrella isn't the only thing missing. 

During a recent interview with Jake's Takes, Farrell explained that he did what he could to convince Warner Bros. to include The Penguin's cigar, but found himself fighting a losing battle.

"I fought valiantly for a cigar," the actor revealed. "I even said at one stage 'can I have it unlit' and they were like no." Many major studios have shied away from showing characters in movies smoking on screen in recent years, so this is by no means a surprise. We've never seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Nick Fury chomping on a cigar, either, but Farrell did offer an explanation as to why this iteration of The Penguin doesn't smoke.

"The Oz that we meet hasn’t embodied the energy of the Penguin that we recognize from the source comics and from previous films," Farrell said, alluding to his lowly place in this crime family, "so I’ll see if it goes again. I’d love to explore it because he’s not an underboss, he’s not a boss, he’s just a soldier of Falcone at this stage. But he has great ambition and dreams of doing big, big things."

We're anticipating Oz's arc unfolding in The Penguin TV series that's currently in development for HBO Max. It depends how the character's story wraps up in The Batman, of course, but it certainly sounds as if the stage is being set for him to undergo a transformation that brings him even further in line with his comic book counterpart.

The Batman is set to be released exclusively in theaters on March 4.

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 2/23/2022, 6:40 AM
The more I hear about this, the more I'm excited! 6 days woooo
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 2/23/2022, 6:41 AM
Farrell is charismatic as heck. Very excited to see him in this.
Fares
Fares - 2/23/2022, 6:41 AM
Damn, I thought that was mainly a Disney thing. I'll never get the logic behind it really. This movie is assumingly going to show some of the most violent iterations of Gotham, giving it a rating of 15 in the UK. I'm sure a cigar won't push the rating any further, nor influence little kiddies to follow the example as if they don't see enough real world examples all around them.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/23/2022, 6:42 AM
Cowards...


Not a deal breaker but meh...
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 2/23/2022, 7:11 AM
@Doomsday8888

When’re you seeing the movie, king?
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/23/2022, 7:15 AM
@regularmovieguy
God willing the very first screening on 3rd March!!!
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 2/23/2022, 7:19 AM
@Doomsday8888 - "Cowards" for not wanting to associate their characters with a cancer-causing super-addictive drug that has destroyed uncountable lives, the crop that caused a major shift toward the enslavement of Africans in what would become the political center of America, likely prolonging and legitimizing slavery in our history on plantations which laid the seeds of the American racial caste system that we are still struggling to correct?

Yeah, I'm fine with no smoking, thanks.

(Aw, shit, I was trying to stop being universally negative... Whelp... There has been 0️⃣ Days since I bitched.)
zeon00
zeon00 - 2/23/2022, 7:51 AM
@Spock0Clock - peoples just want their characters be like comic books depicted on screen
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/23/2022, 8:13 AM
@Spock0Clock
Is this your first day on the internet, Spock? :P

Do you also get assblasted when people say stuff like "Humanity was a mistake" for the simplest things?

C'mon man...i know you're getting older and older but try to keep up, old fart!

Also, the f*cking irony of HBO MAX showing dicks and tits and showing all kinds of drugs when you tune in for your euphoria but welp, please god don't show someone smoking!!!
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/23/2022, 9:57 AM
@Doomsday8888 - XD i love you
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/23/2022, 9:59 AM
@regularmovieguy - brother my family sucks and we all work way to early, like up at 4 am early. and we have to wait till SATURDAY. HOW THE [frick] DO I SURVIVE UNTIL THEN. and i have no hope of staying spoiler free because i watch every clip, watch every interview, IM A [frick]ING ADDICT. this is addict behavior and i need my Patty Boy to speak noirish poetry into my orifices (ears, get your head outta da gutta). IM ALMOST MOST HYPED FOR SERKIS ALFRED.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/23/2022, 10:00 AM
@Spock0Clock - /fartnoise
MG0019
MG0019 - 2/23/2022, 10:49 AM
@Doomsday8888 - Cigars are just too fantastical for Reeve’s ultra super realistic mature take on Batman!
THEDARKKNIGHT1939
THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 2/23/2022, 12:02 PM
@Doomsday8888 -

Nightwing1015
Nightwing1015 - 2/23/2022, 3:59 PM
@Spock0Clock - I really hope the Green Goblin stops using bombs in the Spidey films. Why would they want their character associated with a super-deadly weapon that has destroyed uncountable lives?
Model101
Model101 - 2/24/2022, 8:08 AM
@Spock0Clock - Behave. Only the weak minded would blame their cigarette smoking habit on the penguin or someone else.
RokoVII
RokoVII - 2/23/2022, 7:09 AM
What a bunch of pussies
SgtSoggybottom
SgtSoggybottom - 2/23/2022, 8:47 AM
@RokoVII - I'm sorry. You can't say that. I've just cancelled you. Thanks.
RokoVII
RokoVII - 2/23/2022, 9:26 AM
@SgtSoggybottom -
elgaz
elgaz - 2/23/2022, 7:18 AM
Happy to show Batman beating a bad guy to an absolute pulp with nothing but his fists, channelling all his inner anxieties and paranoia and rage into violence .............. but keep that smoking off the screen! BAD!
SirDuckAlot
SirDuckAlot - 2/23/2022, 7:25 AM
We can't show people smoking but we can show people getting shot and killed or even getting impaled. Seems logical.
GoofBallAbe
GoofBallAbe - 2/23/2022, 7:29 AM
Yea thats backwards
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 2/23/2022, 7:31 AM
Dont movies have to pay some kind of fine for showing people smoking?
GhostDog
GhostDog - 2/23/2022, 7:31 AM
Show murder > show the stogie
FleischerSupes
FleischerSupes - 2/23/2022, 7:36 AM
Will he even have an umbrella?
Repian
Repian - 2/23/2022, 7:45 AM
@FleischerSupes - Yes. He will have it while it rains. xD

Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 2/23/2022, 7:46 AM
If anyone is curious: here are the relevant parts of WB's official policy on Tobacco in film.

Accordingly, the Studios endeavor to reduce or eliminate the depiction of smoking and tobacco products/brands in their feature films, unless there is a compelling creative reason for such depictions. The Studios’ practices currently include the following:

2. The Studios endeavor to reduce or eliminate depictions of smoking and tobacco
products/brands in any theatrical feature film produced and distributed in the United States that is expected to be rated “G”, “PG” or “PG-13”, unless (a) the depiction involves a character who is a literary or an actual historical figure known to have used tobacco products; (b) the depiction is otherwise warranted for reasons of compelling literary or historical accuracy; or (c) the depiction is part of a conspicuous anti-smoking reference. Even within these three categories, the Studios consider ways to reduce depictions of smoking and tobacco.

4. For any feature film produced by the Studios for theatrical release outside the United States or where the Studios’ influence over the content of any feature film is limited (such as a films co-produced by the third parties or films produced by third parties and only distributed by the Studios), the Studios discourage the depiction of smoking when they believe it is appropriate to do so.

"Reduce" is doing a lot of work in these guidelines. No overall ban, or specific rating threshold, but overall they're saying that they're trying to cut back. (Many smokers can perhaps relate.)

Full policy here (and the policies of Comcast, Disney, Fox, Viacom, and Sony) if you're curious if there are significant differences:

https://smokefreemedia.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2020-09/All_company_policies_0619_0.pdf
LonelyRanger
LonelyRanger - 2/23/2022, 8:20 AM
@Spock0Clock - Preface: Not trying to start an argument, I'm simply asking a question!

"unless (a) the depiction involves a character who is a literary or an actual historical figure known to have used tobacco products; (b) the depiction is otherwise warranted for reasons of compelling literary or historical accuracy"

Would this not be considered literary accuracy?
McMurdo
McMurdo - 2/23/2022, 10:01 AM
@Spock0Clock - no one is curious.
Matador
Matador - 2/23/2022, 12:38 PM
@Spock0Clock - I thought this movie was Rated R?
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