Set in the world of 2022’s The Batman, HBO Max series The Penguin pays some much-needed attention to a villain that’s been overshadowed since Danny DeVito sank into the titular role in 1992 classic Batman Returns. Hype has been swirling around this project for a while now and it’s only going to ramp up now that Warner Bros. has released the very first The Penguin trailer.
The Batman spin-off series, which will be released sometime in 2024, will be led by Colin Farrell as the show’s eponymous villain while Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) serves as both showrunner and writer. Production is still underway but it seems like Warners Bros. wanted to throw us a juicy teaser trailer to give us a preview of the new show as well as use it to promote its new streaming service with HBO MAX, simply titled Max.
The Penguin trailer was revealed as part of the massive press conference Warners. Bros Discovery held with HBO Max earlier this week, during which the two entities jointly announced several high-profile upcoming projects including a seven-season Harry Potter TV series, a TV series based on The Conjuring, a new Robert Downey Jr. show called The Sympathizer and True Detective Season 4.
From the trailer, it looks like Farrell is chewing through his role as Oswald Cobblepot as the eight-episode miniseries tracks the gangster’s rise in Gotham City. As far as a synopsis goes, we don’t know much more beyond that but from the teaser trailer, it’s looking like LeFranc’s project aligns well with the darker tone Matt Reeves set with his 2022 film.
Both filmed footage and footage of the filming itself show Cobblepot mumbling menacingly for the most part, working his way through threats, bars and a spot of murder.
As reported last year by Variety, The Penguin will be set just one week after the events of The Batman which would mean The Joker (Barry Keoghan) is still in prison at this point and the city, sharing imprisonment with the newly arrested The Riddler.
Craig Zopel (Mare of Easttown) is on board to direct the first two episodes of The Penguin, however, no other directors have yet been confirmed.
Joining Farrell will be Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shoreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown and Theo Rossi. The cast should be rounded out more by the time the show is ready so we’ll keep up updated on who else is joining the project as production continues.
