The Penguin From 'The Batman' Will Get His Own 'Joker' Style Origin Story on HBO Max
Colin Farrell has officially signed on to reprise his role as supervillain The Penguin in an upcoming HBO Max spinoff.
While upcoming DC Comics film The Batman is set to premiere on March 4th 2022, actor Colin Farrell has officially signed on to reprise his role as supervillain The Penguin in an upcoming HBO Max spinoff.
Set to to both star in and executive produce the series, it was announced by Variety that Farrell will be joined by producer and writer Lauren LeFranc (Impulse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) along with The Batman film producer Dylan Clark and director Matt Reeves. While the show will be executive produced under Reeves' 6th & Idaho production company and Clark's Dylan Clark Productions, Warner Bros. Television will also produce the series.
Known for his early-2000s roles in blockbusters Minority Report, S.W.A.T. and Alexander, in the last decade, Farrell has made a resurgence in offbeat, independent films like The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman respectively, will focus largely on Batman's pursuit of Gotham serial killer Edward Nashton/Riddler. Not too far behind The Riddler's origin story will be the rise of Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot/The Penguin, a disfigured underground crime lord. A recognizable member of Batman Rogues Gallery — an assemblage of villains that Batman has faced — The Penguin has been previously played by actors Burgess Meredith, Danny DeVito, and Robin Lord Taylor.
Once given the green light, the HBO Max series will be the second spinoff series ordered from The Batman film. As reported by Variety, HBO Max has also announced for a Gotham Police Department series helmed by executive producer and showrunner Joe Barton, with WarnerMedia planning to debut a web of content surrounding the Batman universe across all of its platforms.
In competition with the Marvel Universe on Disney+, several other DC-oriented shows are in the works at HBO Max, including Suicide Squad-spinoff Peacemaker, Dead Boy Detectives, along with a Green Lantern and Justice League Dark series.