All spoilers for The Batman will be unmarked! You Have Been Warned!
"Can you imagine, to be remembered like that?"
"The world ain't built for guys like us. That's why we gotta take whatever we decide is ours."
— Oswald Cobblepot
The Penguin is a 2024 crime drama based on characters appearing in DC Comics and a spinoff of the 2022 film The Batman. It was developed by Lauren LeFranc (Impulse), executive produced by Matt Reeves, and sees Colin Farrell reprise his role as Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot. Also starring are Cristin Milioti, Michael Zegen, and Clancy Brown.
One week after the events of the film, Gotham is still reeling from the Riddler’s attack, and the city’s criminal underworld is in flux following the death of Carmine Falcone. Now Cobblepot is taking his shot at filling the power vacuum. The series will premiere on Max in autumn 2024.
Previews: In-Production Teaser
, Teaser
The Penguin contains examples of the following:
- Death by Adaptation: Rex Calabrese is stated by Cobblepot to have died of a heart attack when Cobblepot was only 14 in the teaser. This never happens in the comics, where Rex is alive and well.
- Immediate Sequel: According to one interview with Colin Farrell, the series takes place only one week after the events of The Batman.
- Villain Protagonist: As the show's title and teaser make clear, this show is focused on Oswald Cobblepot — a.k.a. The Penguin — who attempts to fill the power vacuum after the death of Carmine Falcone.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Implied. During the teaser, Oswald talks about a man known as Rex Calabrese, who, despite being a "real old school" type of gangster, was beloved enough in Cobblepot's neighborhood to have a "friggin parade" thrown in his honor after he died.
