In light of The Batman’s giant box office success and critical and audience acclaim this weekend, it’s hardly surprising that Colin Farrell’s Penguin spinoff series is moving ahead at pace at HBO Max.
Following up on sequels, origin stories, and spinoffs is of course a Hollywood staple.
The Penguin, which is currently in development, will provide more detail and insight into Matt Reeves’ bumbling interpretation of the Gotham kingpin.
“The world that Matt Reeves created for ‘The Batman’ is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot,” Farrell said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited about continuing this exploration of Oz as he rises through the darkened ranks to become The Penguin. Will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem.”
Reeves will once again use his brilliant bat-vision of Gotham to pen the drama spinoff for HBO Max, ratifying a straight-to-series order. As noted above, Farrell stars as Oz Cobblepot (“The Penguin”), an unrecognizable version of himself. I urge you to see the film as soon as possible if you haven’t already.
The Penguin is often portrayed as a major crime kingpin in the comics, but in Reeves’ blockbuster, he’s just a youngster trying to make it big.
Reeves has been hinting at the rise of The Penguin for a while, which has been only reinforced by Farrell’s acclaimed performance. The Batman’s villain, according to the director, is a “middle-achieving mobster guy,” but he’s undervalued and has a bit of showmanship to him. He’s ready to make his move.”
Reeves and Farrell will serve as executive producers for The Penguin series, which is written and executive produced by Dylan Clark and Lauren LeFranc. There are no details on the other Batman characters who will be taking part in the series – or if there will be any new characters introduced to the universe but I would imagine it’s a given.
In its exclusive theatrical release, The Batman raked in $134 million at the box office this past weekend, flourishing with an exclusive theatrical release nationwide. Will we hear more about a sequel now that this Penguin spinoff update has arrived?
We can only hope.
