Following the very positive reception to the spinoff of a well-received DCEU movie, HBO Max apparently figured, why stop there? After fans everywhere unanimously loved The Batman much like they did The Suicide Squad, it appears Colin Farrell's Penguin will also be getting a spinoff series in due time.
WarnerMedia announced that HBO Max has officially greenlit a spinoff series of The Batman revolving around one of his more well-known villains who got his first film portrayal in 30 years, the Penguin. The show of course will have Farrell, who did an excellent job portraying the Penguin partly due to the flawless makeup they gave him, reprise the role in the show.
It appears Farrell is all for playing this character more both in the near and distant future, as he praised director Matt Reeves' abilities to bring the Penguin to life. “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. (It) will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem.”
It appears Reeves is also looking forward to seeing more of Farrell's portrayal of the Penguin. “Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in The Batman" Reeves said. "And having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill.” Lauren LeFlanc, who will serve both as showrunner and one of the producers, also looks forward to the project. “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?”
Farrell's portrayal of Cobblepot was a nice change of pace for the film seeing how he was the surprisingly fitting comic relief in a dark and gritty film. Even better, despite his performance being noticeably funny above all else, they still gave him enough depth as a character to intrigue the audience into wanting to see more of him. Even though Batman fans know who the Penguin is, he's not put on the same villainous pedestal that some other Batman villains are, like the Joker and Two-Face, so, with any luck, expanding on the Penguin's turn to the criminal underworld could very well elevate him to a higher status as a Batman villain.
There's no reason not to think it's possible. DC took a little-known character like Peacemaker and made him one of the standouts in the well-renowned The Suicide Squad. They then gave him his own series, which only amplified his popularity even further. Farrell's portrayal as the Penguin was more than memorable enough that he deserves more attention as a character, and if they give him the same treatment Peacemaker got, there's no telling how popular The Penguin will be when all is said and done. All things considered, it's great to see the DCEU treat their characters properly now, which was not the case back in 2016.
The Batman is now playing in theaters.
Source: WarnerMedia