Maybe Hollywood has cracked the code and certainly studios like Sony are a bit ahead of the curve thanks to their limitations. For years, Hollywood has looked at what they owned, especially with superhero properties, and dreamt of what I.P. can work for them. Trying to make supervillain projects isn’t rare (“Catwoman,” “Elektra“), but they’ve rarely been successful. This changed with Warner Bros. “Joker” and the envelope keeps getting pushed with anti-hero films like “Venom” and the upcoming “Morbius.” Now Warner Bros/DC Films and HBO Max are creating one of the first TV series to center on bad guy villain: “The Penguin,” which will see Colin Farrell reprising his role as the caped crusader villain from the upcoming “The Batman” film coming March 2022.
Word of Farrell starring in his own ‘Penguin’ series isn’t new, but tonight Variety confirmed the news. It’s a bit of a rare bird, an actor appearing in a supporting role in a superhero film who is spun-off into his own series, but one Farrell has said his role in “The Batman” is rather small. This would afford the actor an opportunity to stretch out his legs with the character and two, Warner Media is very gung-ho on goosing subscribers for HBO Max, so it feels like a win-win for an expansion of their product and Batman I.P.
According to Variety, the series will delve into The Penguin, a.k.a. Oswald Cobblepot’s rise to power in the Gotham criminal underworld, so it could potentially act as a type of gritty crime mob drama. Lauren LeFranc is attached to write the script for the series and she is best known for “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (2013) and “Chuck” (2007).
Farrell will first be seen as The Penguin alongside Robert Pattinson‘s Batman in Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman,” due in theaters March 4, 2022. Reeves will also executive produce the show alongside “The Batman” producer Dylan Clark.
Farrell is no stranger to television. He just did a super underrated stint on BBC/AMC+ severely underseen “The North Water” from director Andrew Haigh. Before that he appeared on season two of “True Detective” and in the late ’90s before stardom hit, had a main role on “Ballykissangel.“
“The Penguin” isn’t the only ‘Batman’ TV series in the works for HBO Max. Reeves is also executive-producing an untitled ‘Gotham PD‘ series that he co-created with “Boardwalk Empire” showrunner, producer, and writer Terence Winter. These two spin-off series definitely signal Warner Media’s intention to keep Reeves’ version of The Batman, and its IP spinning for ideally several years to come. Other HBO Max superhero spin-off series are in the works including the anti-hero series “Peacemaker” starring John Cena which arrives on HBO Max, January 2022.