Colin Farrell was so transformative as the Penguin—yes, that's Colin Farrell under all those prosthetics, if you can believe it—that the actor earned The Batman villain his own spin-off series. Premiering on HBO this fall, The Penguin will showcase the return of nightclub owner Oswald Cobblepot as he seeks to claim Gotham's criminal empire for himself.
To promote the series, HBO is going all out for The Penguin ahead of the show's San Diego Comic-Con panel. The Batman director Matt Reeves, Farrell, and showrunner Lauren LeFranc (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) are set to unveil a new trailer—alongside a fan event at a recreation of Penguin's Iceberg Lounge. Hopefully, Reeves will also share a bit about the road ahead for The Batman Part II, as well as his vision for the Caped Crusader's franchise moving forward. For everything we know so far about The Penguin, continue reading below.
Following the destruction of Gotham City at the end of The Batman film, the streets remain flooded. However, all that water is perfect for the Penguin. According to Sarah Aubrey, the head of original content at HBO, "The goal of this is to show what Oz’s life is like and that’s very much in the streets of Gotham...As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions."
The series stars Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs) as Sofia Falcone, the daughter of recently deceased Gotham kingpin Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Michael Kelly (Special Ops; Lioness) stars as Falcone underboss Johnny Vitti, and Clancy Brown (John Wick: Chapter 4) appears as gangster Salvatore Maroni. Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown) directs the first three episodes of the eight-episode series.
No. The Penguin directly follows Reeves's The Batman (2022) starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz. Elements of the series will also tie in to the sequel film, The Batman Part II, set for release in 2026. The Penguin has no connection to James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe (DCU). Neither does The Batman or The Batman Part II.
Gunn has his own plans for Batman in the near future, with a film titled The Brave and The Bold, directed by The Flash's Andy Muschietti. Reeves' Batman stories will continue on in their own universe labelled "DC Elseworlds," along with any other DC Comics project not within the official DCU canon. And what about Todd Philips's Joker movies with Joaquin Phoenix? That's a whole different universe as well. Are you with me so far? Because there's more. Reeves is also developing an Arkham Asylum series that Deadline reports is actually included in the new DCU. As Gunn explained on Threads, "He'll be producing stories both within his The Batman universe and within the DCU." Got it!
The Penguin will premiere on HBO and stream on Max this September. HBO has yet to reveal the official release date, though The Penguin's Comic-Con panel will likely reveal the premiere date. If not, at least you might catch a ride in the Penguin's "iconic Purple Maserati." I remember when the Penguin cruised around Gotham in a big yellow duck, but it seems as if times have changed. Maybe we'll at least see some penguins with fireworks attached to their backs.
