The Batman spinoff show The Penguin is officially a go at HBO Max as the streaming service has given the show a straight-to-series pick-up. Matt Reeves’ Batman reboot has finally arrived in theaters as the filmmaker brings the latest cinematic interpretation of the Dark Knight to life. Starring Robert Pattinson, The Batman focuses on Bruce Wayne’s second year as a crime fighter in Gotham City. As Pattinson becomes the latest actor to don the cape and cowl, Reeves’ new universe is also giving fans new iterations of various Batman characters.

Twenty years after Danny DeVito’s performance in Batman Returns, Colin Farrell became the next actor to portray Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, on the big screen. While The Batman‘s main villain was Paul Dano’s The Riddler, Farrell’s character served as a secondary antagonist, meant to be more as a setup for future stories. Unlike past Batman franchises, Reeves and Warner Bros. are using the new franchise to flesh out their new universe. Thanks to HBO Max, audiences will be able to dive deeper into The Batman universe with numerous spinoffs in the works. The Penguin is now officially one of them.

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After having been in the development stages, The Penguin is officially going forward as HBO Max and Warner Bros. TV announced that Farrell’s spinoff series is a go. Lauren LeFranc is attached as writer and showrunner, with Reeves, Farrell, Dylan Clark, Daniel Pipski, and Adam Kassan as fellow executive producers. While plot details are still being kept under wrap, Reeves and Farrel shared their excitement for The Penguin’s straight-to-series pick-up:

Reeves: Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman,’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill.  Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.

Farrell: The world that Matt Reeves created for ‘The Batman’ is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot. 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.

Given the critical and early commercial success following The Batman‘s theatrical release, it comes as no surprise that HBO Max is moving ahead with the spinoff. The news about The Penguin going forward comes shortly after Reeves revealed that the GCPD series has been put on hold. While the GCPD show would take place during Batman’s first year as a vigilante, it’s unclear what the time frame will be for The Penguin. Farrell previously suggested that it would “pick up a little short time after the last frame of this film,” although it remains to be seen if that’s still the case.

While The Penguin will officially be the first spinoff for The Batman to go forward, HBO Max is noting that it will be a limited series. At the very least, Farrell’s show will have one season and that might be it. Although, it also depends on The Penguin’s success on HBO Max because if it does well, it could prompt the service to do another season. Now that The Penguin has moved forward, perhaps The Batman‘s positive reception will also allow the Catwoman spinoff that has been discussed to proceed. If The Penguin is looking to start production later this year, audiences will hopefully learn more details soon enough.

Source: HBO Max

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Andy Behbakht
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Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

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