The Batman: Gotham Police Spinoff Reportedly Still in Development
Even though there's new leadership at DC Studios, Matt Reeves' The Batman universe is very much still highly active. In addition to a direct sequel, production will soon begin on an HBO Max spin-off featuring Colin Farrell's Penguin. As it turns out, two more shows are still in development at the streamer, one about Arkham Asylum—which likely involves Barry Keoghan's Joker—and another about the Gotham Police Department according to Variety.
On the press tour for the film the shows are complementing, Reeves said that Gotham PD was on hold, though that now appears to have changed.
"The series was going to be kind of like [Sidney Lumet's neo-noir crime-drama] Prince of the City, where it was going to be year one," Reeves said. "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, it was going to be about this corrupt cop. And it was going to be about how the worst gang in Gotham were the GCPD. And [Batman] was going to come across paths, he would have touched paths with Gordon who would have been — it would have been someone to measure him against. But it would be a battle for his soul."
What is The Penguin about?
According to HBO Max original head Sarah Aubrey, the series is going to further flesh out the seedy underbelly of Gotham and, most importantly, Oswald's inner circle.
"The goal of this show is to what Oz's life is like and that's very much in the streets of Gotham, trying to get up and over as only the Penguin can," Aubrey said. "As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions. It's a great example of having the time over eight episodes to tell a longer-arc character story with a lot of delicious twists and turns and new characters. It's very much going to be about Gotham at that street level because he's not flying around like Batman does. We are all embracing that as a very specific experience for audiences to have."
The Penguin has yet to set a release date while The Batman: Part II enters theaters October 3, 2025.
What do you think about this latest reported update about The Penguin? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!