NYCC 24: HBO’s THE PENGUIN: Extended Sneak Peek and Conversations with Colin Farrell, Cast and Creatives

A new family will rise.

THE PENGUIN (MAX)

Thursday morning ‘The Penguin’ star and executive producer, Colin Farrell took the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con for a mid-season discussion by showrunner and fellow EP Lauren LeFranc, with fellow cast and creatives as they debuted the mid-season trailer in addition to two extended sneak peeks for the audience of episode five, while delving deep into the criminal underworld of Gotham City.

The next chapter in The Batman saga, HBO’s acclaimed original limited series THE PENGUIN, from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios has seen a few incremental rating increases each episode since its September 19th debut.

This thrilling crime drama follows Oswald “Oz” Cobb’s quest for control in Gotham City. With the city in peril following the seawall’s collapse, Oz (Oscar® nominee Colin Farrell) seeks to fill the power vacuum left by the death of Carmine Falcone and finally give his mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) the life he’s always promised. But first, Oz must confront his enemies, including Carmine’s children, Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen); the Maroni family, led by their imprisoned patriarch, Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown); and Oz’s own demoralizing reputation as “the Penguin.”

Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb) aka “The Penguin”

Panelists included Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb aka “The Penguin” and Executive Producer), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Clancy Brown (Sal Maroni), Lauren LeFranc (Showrunner and Executive Producer) and Mike Marino (Prosthetic Makeup Designer). 

The panel opened with its first clip, where Oz Cobb (Farrell) and Victor (Feliz) shared a special moment where they discussed their relationship and loyalty, meanwhile Oz’s car burned in the background. Oz tells Victor “It’s you and me now, kid until the end,” before making a surprise visit to rough up Sal Maroni’s son and paying him a visit in prison.

During the first half of the panel discussion Farrell, LeFranc and Mike Marino elaborated on their first introductions to the character and refining the comic book character, and when LeFranc got the call to do the limited series which including previewing 40 minutes of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and transitioning from film to television.

Lauren expressed how she really dove into the character when she read thescripts and when Matt showed her the first 40 minutes. She was inspired by the psychology of where Oz came from and what makes him tick. She also wanted to honor Matt and the comics that came before, while keeping a similar tone in the transition from film to tv and how the character has evolved. 

Oz is a funny, weird and unpredictable guy and the show expands that, in the film Oz had light screen time and served as comic relief, it didn’t really get to dig into his motivations or backstory so now the show gets to do that.

Farrell called playing the character “a dream come true…because I’m still 48 going on seven sometimes. So it’s not lost on me that I was a seven-year old kid sitting on a carpet in Dublin in my parents’ house watching Adam West and all the pow! Kerrang! and an all that stuff.”

The incredibly talented Prosthetic Makeup Designer, Mike Marino talked about his inspiration for movie make-up magic and the first film he saw that blew him away was Elephant Man by David Finch, and not knowing at the time about the extensive makeup it required. Later on in life he really appreciated the craft and learned it wasn’t real but actually makeup, and this was back in 1980. He went on to say Michael Jackson’s thriller is the greatest thing ever, and how Artist Rick Baker, known for Planet of the Apes (2001), Men in Black, and The Wolfman (2010) really  got him into makeup effects. Baker who also worked on the Nutty Professor, later became close friends with Marino, congratulating him on The Batman saying it’s the best makeup ever done and that he really loved the show, bringing things full circle for Marino.

During the panel, Marino explained the behind-the-scenes work, and how “it was a great opportunity to explore his make-up, his character and see what we could refine from the film. Technical pieces, changing the design for the better. We were filming in so many lighting environments, he’s in the make-up much longer, so it’s a huge maintenance to keep this magic trick together for that long.”

Not only was Farrell’s face being completely transformed, but he was also wearing the suit for longer periods of time, building his accent with the dialect coach and getting his walk down-packed. 

Lauren talks about really getting into the strange little moments and details of developing the character of Oz and how she really enjoys working on the scripts for the show. It’s fun to write.. challenging dark thrilling” and her experience writing and working on his voice, his humor, and how cutting and terrible he could be, really shaping what living as Oz on the page would look like.

She goes on to say Farrell is the “most incredible actor to take on and embody Oz,” along with Mike’s makeup with Colin underneath, working with such an “incredible, amazing talented genuine, and lovely. can’t ask for a better cast.”  She thanked her amazing team of casting directors and writers bringing these characters to life was truly amazing, and nice to see the whole crew environment band together on site despite challenges like the strike, and cold weather.

For a production that was interrupted by WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Farrell also credited the team of people around him who helped bring the show and titular character to life. “So much of the work I really did feel was done for me,” Colin said crediting artist Mike Marino in particular with a character design that turned out to be far more detailed and physically transforming then he initially thought. Farrell said he went into the project expecting “a bit of a nose prosthetic or something” and instead was “confronted with the fleshy, imposing figure at the center of this dark telling of The Penguin’s origin story.”

Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti),and Clancy Brown (Sal Maroni) join the stage after a second clip is revealed. 

Sofia Falcone (Milioti)

The second clip, Sofia Falcone (Milioti) has Johnny Viti (Kelly) chained up in a cold, chambered room where she tortures him with ice cold water while he refuses to give up information. She asks him he if he wants to die here in the dark, and Johnny begins to reveal some truths about her parents, and her mothers plans for leaving Carmine. Viti pleads to Sofia that he can help her gain the next respect she needs to move forward as a criminal leader. 

Michael Kelly tells fans that his scene with Sophia scared the hell out of him as an actor. Milioti describes Sofia as a dark and complicated character, and how she’s been wanting to do something challenging like this [character] since was little, which sounds crazy.” She says that playing Sofia, whose arc goes from mob daughter to a queenpin is the “heart of episode four,” and it was “a dream,” not just the opportunity to portray a villain in the Batman universe, but for the depth of her story. “It’s so rare that you’re given an opportunity to show that much of someone’s history, and especially to show why someone is driven to madness.”

The Penguin (MAX)

Milioti explains how Sofia Falcone was betrayed by her own family and sent to Arkham, her father groomed her to be next in line, and she was born to take over the family. She says it would’ve happened the same way, of course the circumstances are very different, but she would’ve led regardless. Her story is loaded, but she’s good at this.

The clip also showed what’s going on with Oz, as he is seen rallying his troops, planning the next move against the Maroni’s. He tasks Victor with protecting with mother, but when the young protege gets to Mrs. Cobb’s house, he finds a mess and she appears missing. He finds her cooped up in the bedroom and she mistakes him for Oz. He reveals the fate of the Falcone family. 

The series is not only an origin story for Oz, but essentially an origin story for everyone. We don’t just get a deep look into the lives of “Ma” and Oz’s relationship but also the lives of Vick and Sophia. Rhenzy Feliz who is spectacular as Victor Aguilar, talks about how Victor is one of the few innocent people we see. He goes down this dangerous path and returns to Oz when he came back to save his life. Oz tells him the life that Victor is headed down doesn’t offer much success, and now things are more exciting. Victor lost his family and gets to be a part of something big, he doesn’t have money, and he liked something in Oz, especially his confidence.

Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar

Ultimately he made the decision to stay, Renzy says Victor doesn’t necessarily look at Oz as family.. hasn’t given “so much thought to it” but “starting to understand the opportunity” and coming into it the relationship w/ Oz as “a mentor figure, something familiar, a mentorship.” 

Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb) talked about her toxic relationship with Oz. That Mrs. Cobb is proud of what he’s doing some of the time, and how he has a tendency of being weak and being invisible, and that she turns his dark nature into a weapon. Colin jokes about feeling triggered by his on-screen mother.

Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb)

Colin also chimes in about his thoughts on Oz’s and Victors friendship. Oz trust Vic with the life of his mother, he’s a kindred spirit, the first time they met he was a danger a threat but he eventually sees Vic is just a kid falling apart, notices his stutter and sees something familiar. Misery loves company, Oz is also lost a bit more than he realizes. He also sees Vic as someone he can push around but gets the sense of a loner and over time grows affection. Victor represents a “conscious.. the purest representation of innocence, a lovely character point Lauren designed.”

Throughout the panel, the cast and creative team discussed previous iterations of Batman characters, including The Penguin. Farrell acknowledged Adam West, Danny DeVito and the expansive worlds of Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton. One of the most interesting takeaways from the panel was when LeFranc was asked what inspired her take on “The Hangman” Sofia Falcone. Milioti’s stellar Emmy-worthy performance especially in Episode 4 where we learned her full backstory, has received high praise.

Sophia wants to win, she wants power and believes she deserves it and will make-up for what happened to her. Milioti says Sophia’s pain has no where to go. Show-runner Lauren LeFranc explained her vision of Sofia’s origin, how thinking about what would make someone so innocent become this way. 

 “I was inspired by Rosemary Kennedy’s story. She was deemed the forgotten daughter. In her 20’s, her father put her in an institution and she was given a lobotomy. We don’t know what her story was,” she told the audience. “Thinking like a character like Sofia and bringing her into the world… as a character I wish I had when I was younger, I wanted to relate her to something that felt very real.” – Lauren LeFranc

Cristin Milioti excitedly expresses how appreciative she is “getting to play that rare given opportunity to show someone driven to madness and understand what she does.”

This whole world came from Lauren and an amazing team of writers. They talk about the scene where Sophia grows bolder is not afraid to hide her scars anymore, and the work of Martha Melendez (department head of makeup) and Helen Wong (head of costume design).

“The Penguin” is executive produced by showrunner Lauren LeFranc along with Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, director Craig Zobel and Bill Carraro and Daniel Pipski.

The panel ended with a treat to a special mid-season trailer.

Stream a new episode of the HBO Original Limited Series #ThePenguin this Sunday at 9 pm ET on Max.

Discover the best entertainment for every mood. Introducing Max – the one to watch. #WarnerBrosDiscovery #streamonmax #theonetowatch

SnyderCut: Gods Among Us the heroes we deserve

Courtesy of DC/ WB

***CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Snyder’s Justice League is visually stunning, action packed and delivers fans Justice! 

After waiting nearly four years the SNYDERCUT has finally dropped on HBO MAX and was well worth the wait as fans are calling it one of the best DCEU films yet. Director Zack Snyder’s glorious vision was finally brought to life in this reimagining of the 2017 botched film. The Snydercut gives us new footage, completely different storylines, new characters and an entirely different third act.

At this point most people are aware of the tragic death of Snyder’s daughter, the behind the scenes drama of the theatrical release, Snyders’ departure due to creative differences and Joss Whedon’s (Avengers) disappointing take- over. Although not perfect, Snyder fixed a lot of the flaws of the theatrical release and gave us a much stronger, enjoyable and cohesive film. The Syndercut is essentially an extended version of Justice League with new footage that tied up all the loose ends, cut out all the cheesy and sexiest JOSStice scenes, improved the horrific CGI, and primarily made all of our beloved heroes much more captivating and GODLIKE!

Birthing the #releasethesnydercut fan campaign which finally persuaded Warner Media to let HBO Max bring it to life. $70 million dollars later, hundreds of hours of shooting, reshoots and editing for nearly four years we now finally saw Snyder’s vision come to life and boy were we happy.

I loved the extra storylines and the stronger interactions between the cast. There was a good balance between the dark grittiness we’re used to as well as some humor. It felt like pages directly from a comic book and DC Animated were literally brought to life. The opening sequence gave us so much stronger introductions; with a glimpse of Lex with the mother boxes, Mera in Atlantis, the Amazons, and Bruce attempting to recruit Aquaman which leads to chapter one.

So what changed?

The film was divided into six chapters and an epilogue, and it was roughly four hours long. Yes, this is way too long for a theatrical release, but watching from the comfort of your own home and in sections this was actually a genius move. Snyder was giving us a glimpse into what could’ve been and successfully gave fans an entire DC Universe with the third installment of his DCU films. SnyderCut not only gave us more Themyscira, but Darkseid, Zeus, Ares and even a Green Lantern in a more prominent flashback scene with the allied Amazons, Men, and Atlantenans. The theatrical release was a mere 2 hours cutting out well everything important for the film to have successfully progressed. WB should know by now that fans will sit and watch three hours of a good movie (LOTR, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Watchmen) so why cut short one of the biggest team ups in DC history?

JL takes place months after the events of BvS, and Batman seeks out other heroes to form a team of allies to take on Steppenwolf; an alien invader who plans on conquering the world. With Wonder Woman’s help Bruce Wayne enlists Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash to help take on this menacing threat, but this time there’s more! 

Snyders decision to include more scenes with the Amazons, Atlanteans, Cyborg’s parents, Barry and Iris West, Darkseid, Ryan Choi (Atom) and Star Labs made a drastic difference. The character development was far superior in this cut as each scene was completely necessary for the overall flow of the movie. Snyder not only makes each villain a more imminent threat, but every hero more likeable and powerful in their own respect.

Courtesy of DC/ WB

Although Steppenwolf is still the main villain, he now reports to an even bigger boss, major DC Villain Darkseid. The decision to include Darkseid, and to flesh out Steppenwolf was a drastic improvement for the movie. In the Josstice version a major issue was that Steppenwolf was such a weak villain that he didn’t even warrant the assembling of the JL. Now everything makes a lot more sense. Not only did Steppenwolf’s look and armor drastically improve, but we now learn that his intentions are to get back into the good graces of Darkseid, ruler of the planet Apokolips. Steppenwolf has a lot more camera time, has a much clearer objective and even has a very brutal beheading scene. Steppenwolf also uses a mind-controlling weapon that taps into the subconscious digging up information, these parasites that attach themselves to victims faces are a major nod to DC supervillain Starro the Conqueror.

Courtesy of WB/ DC

Darkseid makes his DCU debut in this version and he’s much more intimidating than Steppenwolf and would be DCs equal to Marvel’s Thanos, it’s about time. Snyder gives us just enough Darkseid to tease us with an appearance to set up what would have been two sequels. This makes perfect sense as Darkseid would send in parademons and minions before his arrival on earth after being informed the Anti- Life Equation has been found. The movie does a good job of explaining why he is after the Motherboxes now, after all this time, because Superman is not a threat. 

Gods Among Us:

I remember first reviewing Man of Steel & BvsS and what I did love about both films was the Injustice: Gods Among Us (video game) feel to it. Especially the city fight scene between Superman and General Zod.

Snyder successfully shows us that not all our heroes are human but that they are Gods and extremely powerful beings. With the same injustice tone of Man of Steel, Snyder once again gives us Godlike heroes as he delves more into the mythology, giving viewers a much better understanding of each character and their history. He lets each character play to their strengths, everyone is fleshed out and he shows actual teamwork.

In Snyder’s JL he really lets Cyborg (Ray Fisher) shine, essentially being the heart of the movie. Cyborg is central to the plot as he is in possession of the third and final mother box. Cyborg ends up playing a much more integral role, especially learning that his technology derives from the same powers of the Mother Boxes; it makes sense for him to have more screen time.

Courtesy of DC/ WB

Snyders version does a better job of balancing Victor’s self- loathing and internal struggle as he starts to understand his technology and machine- like powers. Including the scene where Cyborg hacks the ATM and gives the mother money showed Victor’s human side and added depth to his very “emo” portrayal. Snyder also shows the audience a lot more of Cyborg’s tragic story by including his mother. Cyborg’s father, Doctor Silas Stone also had a much more notable role, especially the key scene when locking himself to track the heat signature. These extra scenes and more Star labs really made a difference. Ryan Choi (Atom) is really more important than you think. Snyder also included more Star labs security, the national guard, and the JL actually had to have a plan to infiltrate.

Gal Gadot continued to amaze us with her onscreen portrayal of Diana Prince/ Wonder Woman. She was just as badass, graceful, and powerful as her solo flick and BvS appearance. Snyder gives us a much stronger and likeable WW. She is a leader, a god, a warrior, and not there as just eye candy or a sex object as Whedon depicted. There are no up the skirt camera angles, no crude Aquaman remarks or objectifying moments. The Josstice movie objectified Diana, Lois, and the Amazons with his portrayal of women, Snyder gives them so much more depth. You can see the difference in respect for the characters and take them more seriously. Also notable Wonder Woman is more of a badass in her opening sequence than the entirety of WW84.

Courtesy of DC / WB

Snydercut also gives us a much more likeable and crucial Barry Allen. The Flash (Ezra Miller) still gives us a playful and wisecracking Barry Allen lightening the tone, but he is the hero in this film as he has to break his own rule and manipulate time in order to reverse the destruction. Snyder gives Barry a chance to actually shine being the fastest man alive. He is not as weak and cowardly, and we actually see Flash reversing time. Snyder also gives us really great stand- out moments like Barry saving Iris, when his shoes break and the slow motion emotional moments.

Even Aquaman was more fleshed out, (Jason Momoa) as he was involved more than just being there to disagree with everyone or flirt with WW. Synder took out the stupid Lasso of truth scene and gave Aquaman better material to work with. We now see Vulko, Aquaman’s mentor, in some important scenes establishing Arthur’s relationship with his fellow Atlanteans. We have a more clear understanding of Arthur’s first introduction to Mera, and mention of King Orm setting up “Aquaman.” A small but very noteworthy adjustment is the way Atlanteans speak underwater. (Not Amber Heard’s horrible English accent which came out of nowhere, even though Dafoe had no accent) but the speech bubbles. To speak with her Atlantean subordinates, Mera creates an air bubble to facilitate human speech. Although this was dropped in Wan’s Aquaman film, this was really cool to see Snyder capture this little detail of how they community in human speech. Outside the bubble Atlanteans typically speak like dolphins using clicks, whistles and noises.

Courtesy of DC / WB

Although this time Batman took more of a back seat giving other members more screen time, Bruce becomes more of a leader. We get a better, more serious non-cheesy Bruce Wayne/ Batman. Batfleck (Ben Affeck) returns this time with no unnecessary quips that Batman would never say. We have a more witty Alfred, cool bat tech that is actually explained and showcased and a better team up overall. His focus is to bring back Superman and do whatever is necessary to protect Earth. The Knightmare scene also makes everything so much clearer in BvsS as well. 

Superman is back and we get the black suit, nod to Death of Superman ! Henry Cavill is back donning the all- black Kryptonian suit, black cape and silver S, which WB decided against for the theatrical release. Superman’s return makes so much more sense with the imminent threat of Darkseid, and the more understandable attempt of the team to bring him back from the dead. One of the biggest differences is Superman’s return in the fight against Steppenwolf. Instead of trying to “talk it out” and going on about “truth and justice” blah blah, Superman swoops in and saves Cyborg from Steppenwolf’s attack. Superman proves he is the Man of Steel when taking no damage from Steppenwolf’s ax. This version also fixed the infamous atrocious Clark stash. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) also makes a lot more sense in this film as she is grieving most of the film and it actually explains why she is at the monument at the opportune time to stop Superman from lasering the JL because she’s there to grieve daily.

Courtesy of DC/ WB

Aside from a much more cohesive narrative tied together with stronger character development and interactions there are some other noteworthy stand- outs. We got some cool Easter eggs like the green lantern corp, Granny Goodness and Big Barda. Instead of post- credit scenes we also get about twenty minutes of an epilogue which gives viewers a glimpse into what would’ve been the sequels to the Snyder verse.

Epilogue:

Although I think this was way too long it was cool to see what else Synder would’ve had in store for us. We take a trip back to Lex Luthor’s yacht where he meets Deathstroke (this would’ve been the solo Batman film). It was awesome to see more Deathstroke but this scene should’ve remained the same as the original post credit. There was also the post- Apokolips scene continued from BvsS with the Earth waste-land where we see a return of the Joker! Another awesome scene tying into future movies with a team up of Batman, Deathstroke, Mera Cyborg and the Flash. This scene also felt too drawn out and Joker felt a little forced, but it was still great to see Leto get his shot. Another awesome cameo was Martian Manhunter, but where the hell have you been? General Sanwick has been around since Man of Steel why choose to get involved now?

What didn’t work? (minor)

DC still relies too heavily on CGI, although there has been much improvement since the mustache catastrophe, the way DC shoots is very dark and can appear cheap. They could have lightened the 300 tone a bit. Marvel has a much more definitive style that looks more realistic, for some reason DC can’t get their CGI right. Yes, Steppenwolf looked better, and if you could get past Mera’s horrible accent her hair also looked so much better and natural. 

Aside from the CGI, and being too lengthy, there was some wonky music. There was a much better score with Superman, The Flash and WW but Aquaman’s scenes were so cringy I almost fast forwarded. The lingering musical interludes and cringy lady smelling Aquaman’s clothes and people begging Arthur could have been cut. Cutting down the Aquaman scenes, some of the slow motion, the epilogue and some Lois could have brought us closer to 3 hours. 

OVERALL

8.5 Fun, Action- packed, visually stunning, brilliant story-telling

The Snydercut left me with that good theater excitement when you walk out of a movie and want to watch it again. Most of us haven’t felt that since Endgame. Snyder gave fans magic, this was a huge win for fans of the DCU. Watching the Snydercut and the BvsS Extended cut will change your whole mindset. The Snyder cut not only restored the Justice League but it also makes BvsS a better movie. If the studios stopped interfering and let Snyder complete his vision Justice League would’ve been the DCU’s Goldmine comparable to Marvels’ Endgame.

**Personal complaints: ***For me two things that bother me with the Snyder verse are that he killed the wrong Robin. Snyder decided to kill Dick Grayson (Nightwing)  instead of Jason Todd. 
The other is that I can’t stand Jesse Eisenberg’s winy portrayal of  Lex Luthor. Otherwise I love the Snyderverse and wish we could see more.