Colin Farrell’s Penguin could lead a ‘Batman’ spinoff series for HBO Max

Move over Joker because there’s a new Big Bad in town. We’re still a few months away from the March 2022 release of the Robert Pattinson-led The Batman, but Colin Farrell’s take on the waddling villain The Penguin has already gotten so much buzz that HBO Max reportedly wants an entire TV series on the character.

If you’ll recall, we first got a glimpse of the new Penguin in the moody first-look trailer that dropped in summer 2020. Farrell was completely unrecognizable in his cameo towards the end, leading all of us to speculate how deep into the role he got. While that will remain a secret until the new film drops, insiders are apparently pretty impressed.

Colin Farrell seeing himself in The Batman trailer 😦 #TheBatman #DCFanDome pic.twitter.com/HYz75Vp95E

— James Rai (@jamesrai100) August 23, 2020

Now The Hollywood Reporter says HBO Max is trying to get a Penguin spinoff series off the ground and has reportedly made an offer to Farrell to star. This wouldn’t be the first time the villain, whose proper name is Oswald Cobblepot, has been featured on TV in recent years (Robin Lord Taylor was a fan favourite in Gotham), but it would be his first leading role.

There are no deals in place, but according to the publication if the show does forge ahead (waddle ahead?) the plan is for Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark, who are directing and producing the film, to come on board as executive producers. Lauren LeFranc (Agents of SHIELD) is writing the initial script, which follows Cobblepot’s rise in Gotham City’s underbelly.

For those keeping track, this isn’t the first DC Comics spinoff series happening at HBO Max. There’s also a Green Lantern series, a Justice League Dark project from J.J. Abrams, and a Peacemaker spinoff of The Suicide Squad, starring John Cena, in the works.

Let’s not forget about the DMZ series from Ava DuVernay either, nor the show about the Gotham City police that was announced in 2020. At this point would it be too much to ask for a Catwoman spinoff starring Zoë Kravitz while we’re at it?

Considering what Disney is doing with the MCU and all of the TV spinoffs surfacing on Disney+ over the past year and a bit (WandaVision, Loki, Falcon and the Winter Soldier) it only makes sense for WarnerMedia to also expand its DC Comics deals and universe on its own properties, which include the streaming service.

If this Penguin series does go ahead, it probably won’t hit screens until at least 2023. After all, Farrell is a busy guy with three other upcoming films that have been announced (including the recently confirmed Love Child alongside Rachel Weisz). So getting all of the pieces together will take some time. But hey, like the saying goes, good bad things come to those who wait.

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