You'll never hear the iconic villain referred to by his signature nickname, but there's a reason for that.
After the premiere of The Penguin on Max last week, you may have noticed a couple of things. First, the absence of Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne. Second, the almost stealthy recasting of Carmine Falcone. But, something that You may have missed how this spin-off series tackles the mythology surrounding its main character.Oswald Cobb.
With the movie The Batman Directed by Matt Reeves, Oz positioned himself as Gotham City's most ambitious gangster –inspiring his story in a classic film–, owner of the Iceberg Lounge and, in particular, as a flatterer of much more powerful characters, such as Falcone and his criminal family. However, He is not yet the criminal genius we all know.his origin story is about to be developed greatly during the upcoming events of The Penguin.
But, Don't expect him to ever refer to himself by this nickname.and this, is perhaps something you overlooked during the minutes of the first episode.
According to the showrunner Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin picks up the story where Reeves left off. In an interview, the writer brought up the topic of Oz's name and how the series is handling his iconic nickname. Although he is called The Penguin on several occasions in The Batmanwell, The Dark Knight mistakenly identifies him as the “winged rat,” Viewers of the HBO series won't hear him refer to himself this way. for a simple reason that LeFranc has explained:
I knew Oz didn't like that term and found it derogatory. Mobsters tend to give people nicknames. So it made perfect sense that his nickname was the Penguin. But it's not a term he likes.
The Penguin takes a more realistic route
We will still be able to see the Penguin with his iconic umbrella on some occasions.
Gone are the days when Batman's arch-nemesis, the Penguin, wreaked havoc on Gotham with his signature style: monocle, top hat and army of robot penguins. The Batman certainly made a nod to the character's eccentricities by forcing Colin Farrell to literally walk like a duck at one point in the film. However, For the rest, things were played in a much more serious way.dark and realistic, as much as possible.
In this way, the HBO series is taking a similar approach. Going so far as to include an obvious moment where Oz pulls out his signature umbrella, but without including in such an explicit way that fanaticism or comic style.
Lauren LeFranc, in the same interview, mentioned how she was aiming for a different demographic, as she wanted to make sure she appealed to people who haven't seen the previous versions of the character or those who “they didn't believe they were for them”that is to say, those people who weren't necessarily interested in a comic book series.
I don't see our show as a comic book series. I see it more as a crime drama… definitely a character-driven drama.
LeFranc wanted to make sure that as many people as possible could be attracted. by telling a story that people can relate to. showrunner hopes that those who are not necessarily fans of the superhero genre might be interested in this series.
The Penguin has taken a much more realistic route, as has The Batman.
Although, Ironically, Farrell at one point mentioned a deleted scene that he wishes was in the final cut.Without revealing exactly when in the season it takes place, although, given the context, it may be in later episodes, the actor mentions in the interview that at one point Oz meets a group of children on the street who call him Penguin. And Despite Oz's disdain for this nickname, he responded positively.
Perhaps this is because Oz was really getting into the nickname and his own kind of myth. “It’s not essential, but I like the idea that in the end, he’s okay with it. He sees the power of having a nickname like that.”.
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