The Penguin showed off a brand-new look at Colin Farrell’s Batman villain. Empire Magazine is previewing all the hottest 2024 releases, and The Batman spinoff made the cut. Farrell’s slimy villain stands over the dance floor in his club. The Iceberg Lounge is a major locale in Matt Reeves’ film. Seeing as how this is a Penguin spinoff streaming series, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing some of it in the show as well. Chances are, Farrell can breathe a little bit easier than he did in the stand-alone movie because Robert Pattinson’s hero probably isn’t going to stomp in there and light the place up with Bat-Gadgets. Still, as one of the bigger entries for DC in recent years, there’s plenty of excitement around The Penguin.
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Max is ready for the world to see more of The Penguin as well. Max Head of Original Content Sarah Aubrey said that the collaboration with The Batman’s creative team was a major highlight. “We are thrilled to bring audiences a new version of this iconic DC character that they have never seen before,” Aubrey offered. “It is incredible to be working with Matt, Dylan and Lauren on continuing this story and to see Colin take his already exceptional performance in ‘The Batman’ to the next level.”
Will The Penguin Be Resistant To “Superhero Fatigue?”
For Warner Bros. Discovery and Max in particular, they’re hoping that a wide range of stories can help offset some of the industry downturns as of late. This year, HBO and Max executive Casey Boys argued just that during a 2024 programming showcase. While the DC brand is in the middle of a creative overhaul by James Gunn. There are a lot of titles that people are excited for that have made the transition over from the previous regime. Some of those include The Batman II and Joker: Folie A Deux. Maybe these slightly more mature takes on superheores will pay dividends?
“I don’t know that it’s necessarily tentpole fatigue as much as it is a sameness of storytelling,” Bloys told the assembled crowd. “I think the key, even within DC, is trying to tell different stories in different styles, to not try to do the same show over and over and over again. I would say Peacemaker is a very different show tonally than The Penguin. So, there’s not a uniformity to the storytelling and I think that helps. Unfortunately, Marvel, as good as their shows are, there’s probably been a lot of them. That’s one of the advantages we have at Warner Bros. is it’s not just one set of stories. There’s a lot of stories you can go to.”
What Can You Expect From The Penguin?
One thing is for sure, you can expect a bit more of that grimy feel that The Batman produced in spades. Matt Reeves was delighted to have the opportunity to revisit his version of Gotham with a Max series. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc is more than ready for her opportunity as well. Check out what they had to say when The Penguin got announced right here.
“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,” The Batman director Matt Reeves previously said. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”
“I have long been a fan of the world of ‘The Batman,’ and Matt’s film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot? I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen,” added showrunner Lauren LeFranc.
When do you think we’ll get a trailer for The Penguin? Let us know in the comments!