The Batman trailer fascinates fans with "unrecognisable" Colin Farrell as The Penguin

DC Comics fans were excited by the appearance of the first trailer for The Batman starring Robert Pattinson but much fascination was reserved for the appearance of Colin Farrell, as arch-villain The Penguin.

The handsome 44-year-old Irish actor was difficult to recognise, to say the least, in his momentary appearance and fans went into overdrive on social media.

"I had to search the eyes to confirm this is, in fact, my man Colin Farrell," wrote one superfan on Twitter.

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"Completely unrecognisable" was the overwhelming response from fans.

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Many wondered why The Batman producers didn't just hire Curb Your Enthusiasm star Richard Kind to play the role.

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Farrell for his part has talked about how "ecstatic" he was to become part of the DC Comics world, playing Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin.

He told SFX magazine: "The whole prospect is really exciting. I'm ecstatic to be part of that universe. There are certain words that are part of my internal lexicon and those words are Gotham City, Penguin, Joker, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent... all of those things."

The Dublin-born actor added: "I have been watching the Batman films with my kids, but this script is something that feels incredibly original.

"It leans into it but it doesn't borrow; it's born of the mythology of that character, Bruce Wayne, Batman and Gotham. But it feels like a treatment and a version that I hadn't seen before. Matt Reeves has done an incredible job of keeping it familiar and at the same time unique and new. It's really exciting to be a part of it."

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Farrell talked of the impact Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992) had on him when he was a teen, especially Danny DeVito's "devious" Penguin. It's hard to see Farrell playing the role with the same degree of humour.

While many fans were fascinated with Robert Pattinson's first appearance as Batman, and Farrell, a smaller group were going buzzing about the appearance of former EastEnders villain Alex Ferns (Trevor Morgan) as Commissioner Pete Savage.

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Ferns is fresh from his BAFTA Scotland TV Award for Best Actor for his role in HBO/Sky thriller series, Chernobyl.

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The Batman will resume production at Warner Bros Leavesden studios in Hertfordshire in early September, with the film scheduled for release in October 2021.

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