The Batman: Colin Farrell Officially Reprising Penguin Role for HBO Max Spinoff

The world of Matt Reeves' The Batman is officially expanding. On Monday, Variety confirmed that Colin Farrell is officially on board to star in and executive produce an HBO Max spinoff of the film, which is expected to revolve around his portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin. The series was first announced to be in early development earlier this year, but it was unclear at the time if Farrell would be involved. The series would follow Penguin's rise to power in Gotham's criminal underworld, with Agents of SHIELD and Impulse alum Lauren LeFranc attached to write the script. Matt Reeves, who is directing and co-writing The Batman, would executive produce, alongside the film's producer, Dylan Clark.

This Penguin-centric series would mark the second time the character's story is prominently explored in live-action television, after the character was also portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor on Fox's Gotham. The role was also previously played by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, and the actor has been open about his excitement for Farrell's rendition of the character.

"I love Colin Farrell. He's one of my favorite actors," DeVito said in a recent interview with Forbes. "I can't wait!"

While the film's marketing has only barely begun to showcase Farrell's version of the character, it's already caught attention for its surprising use of prosthetics — so much so that the actor apparently wasn't recognized on set.

"I've worked with that makeup artist before and it's just incredible," Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner Jim Gordon in the film, explained in an interview with SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show last year. "Colin walked on to set one day and I walked right passed him [laughs] I was like 'ok, hey dude what's happening? Where's Colin? Are we going to shoot.' It was, it's pretty remarkable."

This would also be the second potential HBO Max spinoff series to The Batman, with the streamer also developing a series surrounding the Gotham City Police Department. The streamer already has a number of original projects planned around the DC Universe, joining existing shows Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Young Justice, and Titans. These include The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker, DC Super Hero High, DMZ, Justice League Dark, Strange Adventures, Green Lantern and series surrounding John Constantine and Madame Xanadu. On the movie side, the streamer is developing Batgirl, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, and Static Shock.

What do you think of HBO Max developing a Penguin spinoff series of The Batman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

The Batman is currently expected to be released on March 4, 2022.