The Penguin, the Colin Farrell spinoff of Matt Reeves’s The Batman, is set to begin filming.
(FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN THE FILM, SPOILERS AHEAD!)
The HBO Max TV series focusing on Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot’s rise to power goes before cameras June 15. The news comes shortly after WarnerMedia confirmed that a sequel to the Robert Pattinson box office hit has received the green light.
Farrell went on record to say, “I couldn’t be more excited about continuing this exploration of Oz as he rises through the darkened ranks to become The Penguin. Will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem.”
The Penguin – What Can We Expect and What Have We Seen Before?
The production listing that confirmed the start date only offered a brief synopsis. The show is to focus on Cobblepot’s rise in the underworld that supposedly leads up to the events of The Batman. The film debuted Farrell’s version of Penguin as Carmine Falcone’s lieutenant in his criminal empire. He was also in charge of “44 Below,” the secret hideaway within the Iceberg Lounge, frequented by corrupt city officials. After The Riddler (Paul Dano) exposed Falcone’s recent murder of one of his employees, Batman and GCPD arrested him. But the psychopath executed Falcone on the steps of his own club before he could be processed. Following the flood of Gotham as Riddler’s ultimate revenge on the corrupt bureaucracy, Oswald was last seen overlooking the city from what was now his Iceberg Lounge. If the synopsis of the upcoming series is true, we could be looking at a prequel series. It will also allow the exploration into this new version of Gotham City.
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in 1941, this is The Penguin’s first solo series, but Farrell is the fourth actor to portray the villain in a live-action setting. The character has had an interesting evolution on both the big screen and small screen. He was first embodied by Burgess Meredith in the 1966 Batman ABC series starring Adam West. Meredith’s look was heavily influenced by the source material, from the tuxedo and umbrella weaponry, to his trademark cigarette holder and “squawk” when speaking. Tim Burton took him in a dark, deformed direction in 1992’s Batman Returns with Danny DeVito under the makeup. Oswald returned to TV in the FOX prequel series, Gotham, with Robin Lord Taylor as a series regular for its five year run. In that series, Oswald Cobblepot was also a subordinate under Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Fish Mooney until he fed information to the police and then maimed by Mooney, leaving him with a permanent limp that contributed to his “Penguin” moniker.
No word yet as to further casting or release date. More will be revealed as it develops.
Official Source – The Penguin Production Start Date Set for HBO Max Batman Spin-Off (comingsoon.net)
