The Batman's Penguin Spin-Off Series Suffers Setback
"The Penguin" is taking its sweet time.
Following the release of Matt Reeves' critically-acclaimed "The Batman," Warner Bros. decided to go all-in on the director's grimy and seedy take on Gotham City. While a big-screen sequel is formally in the works, Reeves has big plans for his neo-noir take on The Dark Knight's beloved villains on the small screen. Max and Reeves are set to debut "The Penguin," a spin-off series based on Colin Farrell's nefarious villain of the same name, in late 2024. It was a move that made sense, as Farrell received critical acclaim for his hilarious, Tony Soprano-like turn as Oswald Cobblepot.
A series that immediately had an aura of prestige surrounding it, "The Penguin" quickly became one of the most anticipated DC and Max projects in recent memory. Initially slated to hit the streaming service in the spring of 2024, Max has confirmed that Farrell's solo stint as the Penguin has been pushed later in the year to the fall. Meghan O'Keefe of Decider, who was in attendance at Max's 2024 slate preview, confirmed the delay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
O'Keefe noted that "The Penguin" was pushed to fall 2024 because of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. While the 2023 WGA stoppage has concluded, the SAG-AFTRA strike continues as of this writing. Production on "The Penguin" was suspended in mid-June, just a little over a month after the WGA strike started.
What is The Penguin about?
This news is certainly disappointing, as "The Penguin" looks to be one of the most interesting projects Max has coming out next year. Unfortunately, Max hasn't confirmed an exact date for the show's debut, and it's fair to say that the streaming service doesn't want to jump the gun by prematurely announcing a concrete date. On the plus side, a fall debut would line up perfectly with the timeline of the series.
We know that "The Penguin" takes place a week after the events of "The Batman," which was set on and after Halloween. In the series, audiences will see Oswald Cobblepot rise up as a Gotham crime lord now that Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) is out of the picture. Specific plot details are slim, but it has been confirmed that Oswald will face significant competition from Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), Carmine's daughter. In a conversation with Variety's "Awards Circuit Podcast," Farrell described his character as someone who is filling the power vacuum of Gotham now that Carmine is dead. Back in April, Max debuted an in-production teaser for the series, which showed The Penguin parading around the city, trying to assert control.
While it remains to be seen if Robert Pattinson's Batman makes a cameo in the crime series, the Penguin-focused show is set to be a star-studded affair, with appearances from "House of Cards'" Michael Kelly and Mr. Krabs voice actor Clancy Brown. During his conversation with Variety, Farrell confirmed that the limited series will boast eight episodes and would directly segue into the upcoming "The Batman" sequel.
"The Penguin" arrives on Max in late 2024.