Oswald Cobblebot, one of Gotham’s most ruthless villains, will soon pay you a visit, as the standalone series about the mobster is on its way to streaming platforms.
The Penguin has appeared multiple times in films and series about Batman. So far, the most famous interpretation of this character has belonged to Danny DeVito in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.
However, in Matt Reeves’ movie from 2022 Colin Farrell took on the role and he was almost unrecognisable under a thick layer of makeup. The new version of the Penguin spoke so strongly to audiences that HBO decided to create a series covering the gangster’s march for power in Gotham City.
We rounded up for you all the essential information about this new production from the DC universe.
When does The Penguin release?
HBO hasn’t yet set an exact release date for the series. Initially, The Penguin was supposed to hit Max in the spring of 2024, but the premiere was pushed back. According to the latest news, the show will debut on the service in the fall of 2024.
The series will run for eight episodes.
Where to watch The Penguin in the UK
UK-based fans of DC can catch The Penguin on Sky TV and streaming service Now.
Every episode will air weekly at the same time as in the States and hit streaming shortly after its TV premiere.
What is the plot of The Penguin?
The series will pick up right after the finale of The Batman movie. The clash with the Riddler led Gotham City to ruin, with large areas of the city ending up underwater. Chaos also reigned in the criminal underworld, which, after the death of the mafia boss Carmine Falcone, was left without leadership.
Everything indicates that in the new HBO series, Penguin will try to take over power in the world of criminals – the creators describe the project as a Scarface-like story.
As Sarah Aubrey, Max head of originals, said in an interview for Variety:
The goal of this is to show what Oz’s life is like and that’s very much in the streets of Gotham, trying to get up and over as only the Penguin can. As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions. It is a great example of having the time over eight episodes to tell a longer-arc character story with a lot of delicious twists and turns and new characters. It’s very much going to be about Gotham at that street level because he’s not flying around like Batman does. We are all embracing that as a very specific experience for audiences to have.
Even more interesting is that The Penguin will serve as an introduction to The Batman: Part Two. It seems that the series is planned to be a must-see for all fans of the rebooted Dark Knight franchise.
Is there a trailer for The Penguin?
HBO first released a short teaser for the show:
The second teaser shows a slightly larger slice of the Penguin’s world:
Who’s starring in The Penguin?
There is still not much known about the cast, however the following actors are confirmed to star in The Penguin:
Colin Farrell – Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot / The Penguin
Cristin Milioti – Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine Falcone
Michael Kelly – Johnny Vitti, the underboss of the Falcone crime family
Clancy Brown – Salvatore Maroni, a mob boss
Michael Zegen – Alberto Falcone, Carmine’s son and Sofia’s brother
Rhenzy Feliz – Victor Aguilar
Deirdre O’Connell
Fans of the DC universe have been wondering if Robert Pattinson will appear in the series as Batman. It’s not certain if he will, but if he does we think it will only be a cameo.
The series is created by Lauren LeFranc. Matt Reeves and Colin Farrell serve as the executive producers, among others.