Matt Reeves Halted Penguin Villain in Birds of Prey

Margot Robbie revealed that the original villain in the 2020 film Birds of Prey was intended to be The Penguin, played by Colin Farrell, but director Matt Reeves requested the character be removed to use him in his own projects, including the 2024 HBO series The Penguin and the upcoming film The Batman: Part II. This led to Ewan McGregor portraying Black Mask as the villain instead. Robbie and Farrell, who star together in the new film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, only recently discovered they had never discussed their shared Gotham City roles despite their characters' intertwined histories. Robbie described the original Penguin script as "amazing" and still has a copy, which Farrell expressed interest in reading. Farrell is set to reprise his role as The Penguin in The Batman: Part II, scheduled for release in October 2027, while Robbie's next appearance as Harley Quinn in the rebooted DC Universe remains uncertain. The situation highlights how DC Studios coordinates character use across different films and series to avoid overlap in villain portrayals.