Colin Farrell looks unrecognizable as he transforms into The Penguin for Batman spin-off

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By Asiya Ali

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Colin Farrell was spotted strutting the streets of New York as he reprised his role as Batman villain Penguin - and it's safe to say the prosthetics department absolutely snapped on this one.

On Monday (March 6) morning, the Oscar-nominated Farrell was spotted shooting scenes for the forthcoming HBO Max series The Penguin in Manhattan.

Commuters didn't realize that the 46-year-old Hollywood icon was right in front of them as he really transformed into the role of the DC Comics supervillain.

The Irishman's signature bushy eyebrows and dark locks were replaced by facial prosthetics that gave him a heavy frame, multiple chins, pockmarked skin, and a receding hairline.

Check out Farrell's transformation below: 

Penguin - also known as Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot - is a Gotham City mobster and one of Batman's biggest enemies in the movies and comics.

The Gentlemen star will be reprising his role as the supervillain in this limited series after first playing the role in last year's critically acclaimed movie The Batman, starring Robert Pattison.

Farrell first announced that he was starring in the new spin-off show last month to Variety, saying that he was thrilled to explore Penguin's conniving mind.

"There was all this extraordinary work done by [makeup artists] Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine and his team, and I just thought it was the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun, that we were getting to do the six or seven scenes that we did in the film," he said.

"I was grateful for them, but I wanted more," Farrell added.

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Colin Farrell as Penguin in The Batman (2022). Credit: LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy

The Daredevil actor stated that he spoke with producer Dylan Clark about the spinoff, but what really sold it for him was the work of makeup artists Marino and Fontaine - the two people responsible for his incredible transformation into the supervillain.

"Honest to god, any thought I had about an extended series was to do with Mike Marino's work. I just knew there was so much to do with it - age it up, age it down," Farrell continued. "He’s just such a genius, Mike, so it was his work that was the inspiration, really."

Farrell revealed that the Penguin look was such a useful disguise that he went to Starbucks in it and hilariously remarked: "They’re cool about it in Ireland. People don’t be looking. People don't be paying as much attention as you think!"

The details surrounding the upcoming HBO Max series have not been disclosed yet as the filming will continue in the next few months.

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Colin - as he usually looks. Credit: Stills Press / Alamy

However, Farrell will be taking a break from the weighty prosthetics this week as he will be expected to attend the Academy Awards in Los Angeles this Sunday.

The In Bruges star is nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin - a performance that has garnered him critical acclaim.

However, he faces serious competition as the fellow nominees in the category are Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Austin Butler (Elvis), Paul Mescal (Aftersun), and Bill Nighy (Living).

Featured image credit: Matt Crossick / Alamy