Minnie Driver has joined the cast of a new animated Batman series as an “evil” and “terrifying” villain. Batman: Caped Crusader is a reimagining of Batman mythology with 2022’s The Batman director Matt Reeves as executive producer.
During Batman: Caped Crusader‘s panel at San Diego Comic-Con, it was revealed that Minnie Driver will play Oswalda Cobbelpot, a gender-swapped version of The Penguin.
Driver, known for roles in Good Will Hunting and The Phantom of the Opera, will make her debut as The Penguin in the opening episode.
The first episode of the ten-episode series was screened during the panel, with Driver appearing alongside co-stars Hamish Linklater and Jamie Chung and executive producer Matt Reeves.
When asked if she would be prepared for backlash to the gender-swapped role, Minnie told Variety: “Here’s the thing: If it hadn’t been so beautifully imagined or reimagined, if it had somehow just been shoehorned in to tick some box of ‘Oh, we have to now have a fluidity around characters,’
“That’s not it. The essence of the Penguin is the essence of the Penguin,” Driver said. “She’s properly evil. She really does some terrible things, and I hope that she will be embraced as the villain that she always has been.”
She added: “The essence of this show is quintessentially Batman. Make no mistake, and the fact that the Penguin is a really terrifying woman speaks volumes about the imagination of Bruce [Timm] and the whole team.”
Linklater voices Bruce Wayne, Chung as Harley Quinn, Christina Ricci as Catwoman, Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent and Jason Watkins as Alfred Pennyworth.
Additional voice cast includes Mckenna Grace, Eric Morgan Stuart, Michelle C. Bonilla, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, Tom Kenny, Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Donohue, David Krumholtz, Haley Joel Osment and Toby Stephens.
A plot synopsis reads: “Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear.
“Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the Batman.
“His one-man crusade for justice attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications.”
The series is a reimagining of Batman mythology through the lens of executive producers Reeves, J.J. Abrams and Bruce Timm.
All 10 episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader will be available to stream on Prime Video beginning August 1.
