Margot Robbie has disclosed that early drafts of the 2020 DC film “Birds of Prey” featured the Penguin as the principal villain before director Matt Reeves asked that the character be reserved for his own Batman project. Speaking in an Entertainment Weekly interview published 22 Aug., Robbie said writer Christina Hodson initially wrote Oswald Cobblepot into the script, but the production pivoted to Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask—ultimately played by Ewan McGregor—after Reeves intervened. Robbie’s remarks came during a joint promotional interview with Colin Farrell, who portrayed the Penguin in Reeves’s 2022 film “The Batman” and in the 2024 HBO spinoff series “The Penguin,” winning a Golden Globe and earning an Emmy nomination for the role. Farrell said he was unaware of the character’s earlier planned appearance and asked Robbie to share the unused script. Reeves remains attached to “The Batman Part II,” slated for theatrical release on 1 Oct. 2027, with Farrell expected to return as Cobblepot. Robbie’s future as Harley Quinn is undetermined as DC Studios reshapes its film universe.