Penguin TV Show in the Works at HBO Max

[Zorkel567]

The DC Universe is growing on HBO Max.

The streamer already has a slew of DC-related projects in the works, some with series orders and others in development including a spinoff of The Batman, and a J.J. Abrams-exec produced takes on Madame X and Constantine.

It is now also working up a series involving classic Batman foe Penguin.

Deadline understands that the project is in the early stages of development and is being exec produced by The Batman duo Dylan Clark and Matt Reeves. It comes from Reeves’ 6th and Idaho, Dylan Clark Productions, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.

It’s described as a “Scarface-like” series about the rise of the Penguin character.

The Penguin, otherwise known as Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, is a dapper mob boss and one of Batman’s primary villains. The character has been played by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns and Robin Lord Taylor in Gotham.

Colin Farrell is set to play him in The Batman, where the disfigured crime lord is not yet the crime kingpin and dislikes being referred to as the Penguin. In the movie, which is due out in March 2022 and is set in Batman’s second year of crime fighting, Farrell reportedly wears a fat suit and is described as unrecognizable. It’s not clear whether Farrell would star in the series.

The Penguin development project joins the Joe Barton-showrun series, which is also set in Gotham. HBO Max gave that project a series commitment to the project last summer. It is designed to build upon the film’s examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City, launching a new Batman universe across multiple platforms. Focused on the Gotham Police Department, the series will extend the world established in the movie and further explore the myriad complex characters of Gotham.

Reeves said last summer that this series is a prequel to his Batman Year Two movie, with the show set in Batman Year One when a “masked vigilante … starts to unsettle the city.” The series will zero in on the city’s corruption that “goes back many years” and is told from the POV of a crooked cop.

HBO Max declined to comment.

https://deadline.com/2021/09/penguin...ax-1234832409/

[Vakanai]

That this is the second The Batman tie-in show announced shows just how confident they are that the film will be a smash success - hope they're right!

[Frontier]

They're pushing the Matt Reeves Batman stuff hard.

I'm surprised they're doing something with The Penguin instead of Catwoman though.

[Zorkel567]

They're pushing the Matt Reeves Batman stuff hard.

I'm surprised they're doing something with The Penguin instead of Catwoman though.

Yeah, Catwoman would've been my bet for the next Reeves spinoff, and I think there were rumors like a year ago that WB was eyeing one.

I do wish that HBO Max would be a little bolder with their Batman spin-offs, though i know they're likely limited by the early in Batman's career setting of the film.

While the Scarface comparison does excite me, both Penguin's rise to prominence and the GCPD were heavily focused on in Gotham, which only ended a couple years ago. I know these will likely be a lot more serious/grounded compared to the campy mash-up that Gotham was, but I would love to see them try to do something more different. And while Selina was in Gotham, she was just a kid; so there's a lot more that could be done with an adult Selina/Catwoman project.

[Vakanai]

They're pushing the Matt Reeves Batman stuff hard.

I'm surprised they're doing something with The Penguin instead of Catwoman though.

You never know, they could be eyeing her more for a miniseries or even a possible HBO Max movie instead of a series.

[Bad Witch]

The film is going to be massive. I think they learned from joker, people want darker superhero content. I wasn't sure about Reeves until I saw the first trailer and saw the tone. I'm all in on his vision now. I think the world he is creating will be the best we have seen yet. The only way this gets ruined is it WB gets in the way (like they tried with Joker)

[Frontier]

Yeah, Catwoman would've been my bet for the next Reeves spinoff, and I think there were rumors like a year ago that WB was eyeing one.

I do wish that HBO Max would be a little bolder with their Batman spin-offs, though i know they're likely limited by the early in Batman's career setting of the film.

While the Scarface comparison does excite me, both Penguin's rise to prominence and the GCPD were heavily focused on in Gotham, which only ended a couple years ago. I know these will likely be a lot more serious/grounded compared to the campy mash-up that Gotham was, but I would love to see them try to do something more different. And while Selina was in Gotham, she was just a kid; so there's a lot more that could be done with an adult Selina/Catwoman project.

I'm just really wondering what you can do with a Penguin show without Batman that's not just...I dunno, generic crime boss stuff.

Apparently Reeves' Penguin hates being called Penguin so I wonder if this is where he starts owning the name and takes up the iconography. Assuming they don't find trick umbrellas and a top hat too much for the Reeves universe.

[Zorkel567]

I'm just really wondering what you can do with a Penguin show without Batman that's not just...I dunno, generic crime boss stuff.

Apparently Reeves' Penguin hates being called Penguin so I wonder if this is where he starts owning the name and takes up the iconography. Assuming they don't find trick umbrellas and a top hat too much for the Reeves universe.

That's my other issue with it. I don't dislike Penguin by any means, but compared to a lot of Batman's other rogues, he can come off kind of bland. He doesn't have the same kind of schtick as Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Hush, Scarecrow, etc. all have. He's a slightly disfigured crime boss, who may or may not accept being called Penguin.

I am curious about that as well. Reeves confirmed at Fandome last year that GCPD- at least the first season- is a prequel to the Batman movie, set in Year One, while the movie is set in Year Two. I'm curious if the Penguin show will be a prequel as well, showing his origin/how he became who he is in the movie, or if it'll be more like Peacemaker, spinning out of the events of the movie and showing how he evolves from those events, maybe accepting being the Penguin and potentially positioning him for a big role in the sequel.

[Vakanai]

That's my other issue with it. I don't dislike Penguin by any means, but compared to a lot of Batman's other rogues, he can come off kind of bland. He doesn't have the same kind of schtick as Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Hush, Scarecrow, etc. all have. He's a slightly disfigured crime boss, who may or may not accept being called Penguin.

Penguin was one of the most popular characters in the not-a-Batman-show Gotham, and in the one leaked review we got after that test screening (the same one that compared the tone to a horror movie and said it was about 3 hours long) they said Colin Farrell's Penguin was really great.

[Frontier]

That's my other issue with it. I don't dislike Penguin by any means, but compared to a lot of Batman's other rogues, he can come off kind of bland. He doesn't have the same kind of schtick as Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Hush, Scarecrow, etc. all have. He's a slightly disfigured crime boss, who may or may not accept being called Penguin.

I am curious about that as well. Reeves confirmed at Fandome last year that GCPD- at least the first season- is a prequel to the Batman movie, set in Year One, while the movie is set in Year Two. I'm curious if the Penguin show will be a prequel as well, showing his origin/how he became who he is in the movie, or if it'll be more like Peacemaker, spinning out of the events of the movie and showing how he evolves from those events, maybe accepting being the Penguin and potentially positioning him for a big role in the sequel.

A prequel would probably solve the issue of whether we should expect Batman to show up.

Penguin was one of the most popular characters in the not-a-Batman-show Gotham, and in the one leaked review we got after that test screening (the same one that compared the tone to a horror movie and said it was about 3 hours long) they said Colin Farrell's Penguin was really great.

But Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin was a very different kind of Penguin in a very different kind of Gotham.

If Farrel's Penguin has been received well, great! Although I'm not sure that means he deserves a spinoff.

[Vakanai]

But Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin was a very different kind of Penguin in a very different kind of Gotham.

If Farrel's Penguin has been received well, great! Although I'm not sure that means he deserves a spinoff.

It's still a sign that, different or not, Penguin is a proven popular character on tv, which helps give these execs confidence in stuff like this.

If a great reception isn't enough to "deserve" a spinoff, what is? I think deserve is a really weird thing to demand here.

[Zorkel567]

Penguin was one of the most popular characters in the not-a-Batman-show Gotham, and in the one leaked review we got after that test screening (the same one that compared the tone to a horror movie and said it was about 3 hours long) they said Colin Farrell's Penguin was really great.

Kinda like Frontier said, and I mentioned it in one of my earlier posts, but Gotham was a very campy, very different Gotham then I'm expecting to see in The Batman. I'm expecting this Penguin to be a lot more serious and straightforward than Gotham's. Even then, though, Penguin was one of the leads on Gotham for five seasons. I'd rather see a different character get the chance.

I'll admit I haven't seen anything about the film yet, so I hadn't heard that. I'm thrilled to hear he's been well received. That makes me more hopeful for the show, even if would rather see other characters get the spotlight.

[Frontier]

I just want to see him with an umbrella, top hat, and monocle.

[Vakanai]

Kinda like Frontier said, and I mentioned it in one of my earlier posts, but Gotham was a very campy, very different Gotham then I'm expecting to see in The Batman. I'm expecting this Penguin to be a lot more serious and straightforward than Gotham's. Even then, though, Penguin was one of the leads on Gotham for five seasons. I'd rather see a different character get the chance.

Like I said, as different and campy as it was, the fact that Penguin was one of the leads for Gotham for five seasons is precisely why they were comfortable enough to give this a thumbs up. And you never know, they might take more chances on different characters - after all, Peacemaker is getting a show. But, they can't all be chances - they need to sprinkle in the more safe bets too.

I'll admit I haven't seen anything about the film yet, so I hadn't heard that. I'm thrilled to hear he's been well received. That makes me more hopeful for the show, even if would rather see other characters get the spotlight.

There were no spoilers, NDAs of course, but apparently the leaker-reviewer loved both his performance and Zoe Kravits' Catwoman, so it's promising.

I just want to see him with an umbrella, top hat, and monocle.

I don't think you'll get what you want with this version and take of the character then.

[Frontier]

I don't think you'll get what you want with this version and take of the character then.

You never know .