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The Batman is scheduled for a March 2022 release date, but Warner Bros. is already excited enough about the film that it’s begun looking at spin-off series. A series centered on the Penguin, as portrayed in The Batman by Colin Ferrell, is in development at HBO Max, Variety reports.
This project is in very early development according to Variety’s sources; Farrell himself has been approached to star, but hasn’t signed anything just yet. Laura LeFranc (Agends of S.H.I.E.L.D., Impulse, Chuck) is attached to write the script for the show. The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark have been tapped as executive producers.
The show would reportedly go into Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham. Introduced in 1941, Penguin AKA Oswald Cobblepot was first cast an an extremely on-the-nose villain who got his name for his short stature and strange facial features. However, over the years he grew into a villain that was a central part Gotham’s underground and a major player in organized crime. Penguin has owned casinos and lounges, and even become Gotham’s mayor for given amounts of time. Iconic portrayals include those in Batman Returns (Danny Devito) and Batman: The Animated Series (voiced by music legend Paul Williams).
There aren’t yet any other details on the show, including how long it would run or when it would hit HBO Max. The Batman is set to hit theaters on March 4, 2022 after multiple COVID-related delays. This is the second spinoff for the movie–a show focused on the Gotham Police Department as depicted in The Batman is already in development, announced in July 2020. Warner Bros. has been enthusiastic about pursing spinoffs for its movies–the recently-released Suicide Squad movie is getting a Peacemaker spinoff starring John Cena early next year.
