Colin Farrell will reprise his role as Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin in a series for HBO Max.
Following reports of its existence last year, the streaming service has officially ordered a spin-off series based around The Batman villain which picks up after the film’s events.
“The world that Matt Reeves created for The Batman is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot,” Farrell said.
“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.”
Lauren LeFranc (Impulse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will serve as writer and showrunner on the series. It will be executive produced by Reeves, Farrell, LeFranc and The Batman producer Dylan Clark.
“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,” Reeves said. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”
Earlier this week. Reeves confirmed a prequel spin-off centred around the Gotham City Police Department had been “put on hold”.
Speaking on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast on Monday (March 7), Reeves said: “That one actually is put on hold. We’re not really doing that.
“The series was going to be kind of like Prince Of The City, where it was going to be Year One because the movie is Year Two, and I wanted it to be the first appearance. But it wasn’t going to be a Batman story.”
Reeves later said plans for the spin-off had evolved into a horror-inspired TV show about “the world of Arkham”. This series is yet to be officially announced.
In a four-star review of The Batman, NME wrote: “Director Matt Reeves has mixed up gritty mob drama with film-noir detective thriller – and thanks to Paul Dano’s ultra-creepy villain, some psychological horror too.
“Most of the time it comes off brilliantly. Pattinson plays him with a dour fanaticism that only occasionally topples over into parody.”
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