HBO Max already developing The Batman spinoff about the Penguin
By Dan Selcke
Early next year, Warner Bros. will release The Batman, with Twilight veteran Robert Pattinson in the role of the Caped Crusader. It hasn’t been long since Ben Affleck hung up the cape and cowl, but Batman is too valuable a property to let languish for long.
The same goes for his rogues gallery. The Batman has a lot of villains in it, including Paul Dano as the Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin. If you think it sounds like the movie is overstuffed, there’s a method to the madness: Warner Bros. intends to use this film as a springboard to create a kind of Batman Cinematic Universe; we already know it’s making a spinoff TV show about the Gotham City police department, possibly with Jeffrey Wright reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon from the movie. And now Variety reports that the studio is also developing an HBO Max series about the Penguin.
The show would allegedly chronicle the Penguin’s rise to power in the criminal underworld. Colin Farrell has been approached about playing the role in the show, but it sounds like talks are in the early stages.
The Batman will kick off a new DC franchise for Warner Bros.
Farrell, known for his roles in stuff like In Bruges and Fantasy Beasts and Where to Find Them, isn’t the first person I’d think to play the Penguin, but I’m interested in seeing director Matt Reeves take the character in another direction.
More interesting still is this very early spinoff planning. It reminds me of what Warner Bros. is doing with the upcoming Peacemaker TV show starring John Cena, who’s reprising his character from The Suicide Squad. In the midst of the streaming wars, a movie isn’t just a movie; it’s an opportunity to get people interested in a property that can then be spun off into TV shows that will draw people to whatever streaming service the studio is operating, in this case HBO Max. Disney is doing the same thing with its Marvel properties, airing shows on Disney+ that tie back into the movies.
The Batman comes out on March 4, 2022. And then we’ll never hear the end of it.
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