Summary

DeVito would reprise Penguin in the DCU with Tim Burton directing.
Batman Returns cast remains iconic for its performances and style.
DC’s recent history suggest another Burton Batman movie would do well.

Danny DeVito’s iconic portrayal of Penguin in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is a role that the actor has revealed he would reprise in the DCU era on one condition. 1992’s Batman Returns was the second and final Batman movie directed by Burton, following 1989’s Batman, and starred DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot alongside Michelle Pfeiffer’s equally iconic Catwoman. The movie and its cast have cemented themselves as some of the most memorable in the history of the genre, thanks to both their performances and Burton’s distinctive style.

In an interview with Screen Rant for Matilda in Concert, Danny DeVito revealed that he would be willing to return as Penguin as long as Tim Burton returned to direct. This stipulation isn’t surprising given the Burton-led movies are so widely lauded for their distinctive flavor, which DeVito described as “operatic.” Sadly, Burton did not return for the third movie, which was instead directed by Joel Schumacher and starred Val Kilmer instead of Michael Keaton, but circumstances have aligned for a prospective return from the legendary director. DeVito’s full quote can be read below:

ScreenRant:
I loved you at the Oscars with Arnold (Schwarzenegger). That was a lot of fun talking with Michael Keaton about the Batman experience. Michael Keaton recently came back as Batman in last year’s ‘The Flash’. If they offered you to reprise your role as The Penguin or any other DC character, is that something you’d be interested in?

DeVito:
If Tim Burton was directing it, I’d be there in a second. Oswald Cobblepot is my favorite. I had a good time. Its operatic. I like every once in a while going big [Laughs], and so I’d do that in a second. We had a ball doing that.

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Why DC Needs To Make Another Tim Burton Movie

The time is right for Burton to round out his Batman trilogy in earnest after
Batman Forever
tarnished its legacy.

Tim Burton’s tenure with the Batman franchise ended on a sour note, with his gothic style reportedly causing friction between Warner Bros and companies picked for commercial tie-ins like McDonald’s. Since then, however, Batman has been distanced from the family-friendly veneer that typified his outings before Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy flipped the script. Now that Burton and Warner Bros’ relationship has been renewed with the upcoming release of the Beetlejuice sequel, the time may be right for Burton to round out his Batman trilogy in earnest after Batman Forever tarnished its legacy.

General appetites for nostalgia are also still as prevalent as ever, with Michael Keaton’s reprisal of his role as Bruce Wayne being one of the most well-received aspects of The Flash. This was followed by calls for Keaton to return again as an older Bruce Wayne (despite his apparent death). The DCU’s current structure in which myriad stories can be told as part of the Elseworlds banner can also facilitate his return. As for whether Burton himself would be as keen to return as the Batman Returns stars is another matter.

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