It always seemed like a bit of a long shot that Warner Bros. would turn The Batman into its own multimedia universe of movies and shows — and that was before Discovery and Warner Bros. merged, and the combined company laid off a bunch of people and canceled a slew of projects, including some high-profile DC shows and movies that were already in the pipeline. Despite it all, though, the first show set in The Batman universe is now in production and it is, of all things, a series built around the Penguin, the grizzled Gotham City crime boss portrayed in Matt Reeves’ 2022 film by Colin Farrell.
As part of the big announcement that HBO Max was becoming a new (but basically the same) streaming service called just “Max,” the company unveiled a first look at The Penguin. The image above comes from the shoot, which is currently in production. In addition to Farrell, the series stars Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring.
The teaser below gives you a look at the show as it’s developing. With Farrell’s heavy prosthetic makeup and scenes of pretty overt violence, The Penguin sort of looks like The Sopranos if it had been set in the DC Universe.
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In addition to The Penguin, Warner Bros. and HBO Max are also working on a show that would be set in the Arkham Asylum shown onscreen in a few brief scenes in The Batman. And director Matt Reeves is already working on a direct sequel to The Batmanwhich is titled The Batman – Part II.
The Penguin does not yet have an official premiere date on Max (formerly HBO Max). The Batman – Part I is currently scheduled for release in theaters on July 11, 2025.
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