Key Takeaways
- The Penguin series follows Oswald Cobblepot’s rise in Gotham’s underworld post-The Batman.
- Batman will only have a background presence in the show, confirmed by the showrunner.
- The series serves as an extension of The Batman universe without Batman’s direct involvement.
The Penguin, the first spin-off series in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, is set to premiere on September 19 on HBO. Colin Farrell is reprising his role as mobster Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, in the new series, from creator Lauren LeFranc. Set up as a mobster drama, the show will chart the Penguin’s rise to the top of Gotham’s criminal underworld, filling in the gaps between 2022’s The Batman and the upcoming The Batman Part II, which is planned for release in 2026.
In fact, the series is said to take place just one week after the events of The Batman, when Gotham’s levees broke and the city was flooded, leaving it in a state of chaos. Reeves also serves as an executive producer on the show. With such a deep connection to director Reeves’ blockbuster films, many fans are wondering, will Robert Pattinson be making an appearance as Batman in The Penguin in this new series?
Spoilers for 2022’s The Batman will be discussed below
What is The Penguin all about?
The rise of a crime lord
Set a week after the events of The Batman, amid the chaos of a flooded Gotham City, Oswald Cobblepot makes his play to take the reins of the city’s underworld from its established mob leaders. The show will follow the Penguin as he amasses power and rises through the ranks to take control of the city and become one of the Dark Knight’s biggest foes. Along with Farrell reprising his role as the Penguin, the show has an impressive clast that includes the following:
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Cristin Milioti |
Sofia Falcone |
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Clancy Brown |
Salvatore Maroni |
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Michael Zegen |
Alberto Falcone |
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Michael Kelly |
Johnny Vitti |
A trailer for the series was released over the summer, giving fans a glimpse at the gang war to come, along with a look at complicated relationships between the characters. We also get to see Sofia Falcone, a psychopathic serial killer recently released from Arkham Asylum, who is out for power and revenge after her father and mob boss Carmine Falcone was killed in The Batman.
Will Robert Pattinson be in The Penguin as Batman?
The show’s creator reveals whether Pattinson’s Batman will show up in the HBO series
While the presence of Batman will certainly be felt throughout The Penguin, LeFranc has revealed that Pattinson will not be appearing in the show. Despite rumors that Batman would be making a cameo, LeFranc told SFX magazine that he will remain only a background presence in the drama.
“I understand why people’s desire would be to have Batman, or to think that unless Batman’s in a show or a film then it doesn’t have the same punch,” the showrunner said.
“To me I think it packs a different punch. Matt’s films are through the lens of the Batman, so you’re high up, looking down on the city. It’s a different perspective. With Oz, you’re in the city streets, you’re in the grit and the muck and the grime. He’s looking up, wanting to claw his way to the top,” she continued. “So it’s a different experience. I think Gotham is an interesting enough city that it deserves to have more doors unlocked within it, and for us to walk through those and see what we think.”
“We know this is the world of Batman.”
Reeves also shared his thoughts on leaving Batman out of the series, telling the magazine, “I don’t feel like it’s missing something fundamental. I feel like it’s an extension of what is fundamentally there. We know this is the world of Batman.”
The director and executive producer added, “You’re going down a different alley. So the spectre of Batman is there. The spectre of the Riddler is there. The spectre of everything that happens in the last movie is there. It informs it. And it’s exactly where we begin.”
The Penguin premieres September 19 at 9 pm ET on HBO.
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