This year’s Variety Actors on Actors series of 2022 has provided plenty of gems, perhaps none more so than Colin Farrell’s conversation with Jamie Lee Curtis. At first they seemed an odd pairing, but their conversation became a full-on therapy session, and they both discussed their journeys with sobriety.
As well as discussing their roles in The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once, the conversation turned to what the actors are doing next. Curtis said that she’s currently unemployed, and Farrell said that he’s hoping to start shooting The Penguin TV series in February or March 2023.
The Penguin is a spin-off from Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which made $770 million when it was released in March 2022. Robert Pattinson played Bruce Wayne, Paul Dano played main villain The Riddler, Zoe Kravitz played Selina Kyle, and Farrell was completely unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot. Not much is known about the series at the moment, other than Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs) will be playing Sofia Falcone.
Craig Zobel (American Gods, The Leftovers, Westworld, and Mare of Easttown) is directing The Penguin for HBO Max. With all of the recent upheaval surrounding Warner Bros, DC, and HBO Max, there had been some concern about whether it was still going ahead, but it is said to be safe.
Reeves is also working on The Batman 2, which will likely feature a more prominent role for Barry Keoghan’s Joker. The first movie did well with critics as well as general audiences, earning an 85% positive rating from over 500 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jamie Lee Curtis is probably joking about being unemployed, but she did retire from the role of Laurie Strode this year, after David Gordon Green completed his Halloween trilogy. Curtis has said that this really is the last time she’ll be playing the iconic slasher movie ‘final girl,’ but time will tell. One role that Curtis has been lobbying hard for is Kureha in the live-action One Piece series. We hope she gets it, as she needs the work!
While we wait to hear more about The Penguin, check out our guide to the best Batman villains.