The Penguin Series: Everything We Know

Last week, MAX finally released the trailer for their much-anticipated The Batman spin-off series, The Penguin, teeing up its fall release date. Overall, it looks highly reminiscent of Matt Reeves’ film, with the cinematography very much in the Grieg Fraser mode. But what else do we know about The Penguin? More than you may think.

The Penguin is set after The Batman.

The plot of The Penguin is set to follow the title character, once again portrayed by Colin Farrell, as he rises through the ranks of the Gotham City criminal underworld. After the events of The Batman and the flooding of Gotham, including the death of Carmine Falcone, Cobblepot desperately wants to fill the power vacuum. Colin Farrell has also indicated that the film will serve as an origin story for the Penguin, something we have seen twice on screen before in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, played by Danny DeVito. and on FOX’s prequel series Gotham portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor. While the term “origin” does not necessarily mean we will get flashbacks to Cobblepot’s childhood, it is possible the series may go back that far. Farrel’s comments have stated that The Penguin will definitely explore the character’s “awkwardness, and his strength, and his villainy” and the “heartbroken man inside there.”

Matt Reeves is not writing but will serve as producer.

With The Batman Part II pushing a full year to October 2026, Matt Reeves will have spent four years working on the Robert Pattinson-led sequel. That means while Reeves has been working alongside writer Mattson Tomlin to perfect the feature film sequel, he did not have time to step behind the camera on The Penguin. Reeves anointed Lauren LeFranc to write and showrun The Penguin. LeFranc’s experience writing for the small screen includes the short-lived Christian Slater series My Own Worst Enemy, the Zachary Levi spy comedy Chuck, Eli Roth’s horror series Hemlock Grove, the series Impulse, and a stint on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. That final project likely gave the writer some insight into superhero storytelling, but it remains to be seen if she brings the same gritty edge to The Penguin.

Who is directing them?

The eight-episode series has not announced the full roster of helmers, but we know that Craig Zobel will be directing at least three episodes. Zobel has extensive small-screen experience directing episodes of Westworld, The Leftovers, American Gods, Outcast, and the entire series of Mare of Easttown. Zobel also directed the indie film Z for Zachariah and the Blumhouse movie The Hunt. Alongside Zobel, reports have former actress-turned-director Helen Shaver on board, but her episode count remains unknown. Without Matt Reeves behind the camera, it is tough to tell whether the series will maintain the same cinematic quality as The Batman. Still, from the footage released so far, it looks like a solid companion piece.

Who is starring in the series?

Much of the cast of The Penguin has been announced, but not who they will be playing. Alongside Farrell, we do know that Cristin Milioti will portray Sofia Falcone, daughter of the late Carmine Falcone. Michael Zegen will play Alberto Falcone, Sofia’s brother. Clancy Brown, the fan favorite star of everything from The Shawshank Redemption to a recent appearance on The Boys spin-off Gen V, will play Salvatore Maroni, a rival gangster Carmine Falcone informed on. Maroni was previously played by Dennis Paladino in Batman Returns, David Zayas in Gotham, and Eric Roberts in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It is worth noting that Maroni and Falcone have a close connection to Harvey Dent (aka Two Face), so it is possible we may see an expansion of characters in this version of the DC universe. Other cast members include Michael Kelly as Johnny Vitti, underboss of the Falcone crime family, as well as undisclosed characters for Rhenzy Feliz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dierdre O’Connell, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Theo Rossi, Carmen Ejogo, Francois Chau, David H. Holmes, Craig Walker, and Jared Abrahamson.

How does it connect to James Gunn’s DCU?

The short answer is that it doesn’t. When James Gunn came aboard to shepherd Warner Bros’ full relaunch of the DC Cinematic Universe, he revealed which projects were done and which were still going ahead. With the massive critical and fan reaction to The Batman, it was guaranteed that the franchise would continue, but Gunn indicated that it falls within the new “DC Elseworlds” banner. Elseworlds is a long-running concept in DC Comics to indicate stories that exist in alternate universes or standalone storylines that do not connect to the main franchise. That means that The Penguin, like The Batman and Joker film series, is not going to feature characters from Gunn’s announced projects Superman, The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and more. While this means Joaquin Phoenix will not appear in The Penguin or The Batman Part II, it also means we could see any character the creators would like without worrying about continuity with the flagship movies.

When will we see it?

The first trailer for The Penguin debuted on March 21, 2024, at the Series Mania TV festival in France, and made it online the following day. All of the production efforts wrapped in February 2024, after being delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writer’s Guild strikes. Post-production is underway, and the teaser trailer touts a Fall 2024 release.

Do you think The Penguin will be a worthy follow-up to The Batman? Let us know in the comments!