As usual, San Diego Comic-Con brought plenty of news, including an official trailer for The Penguin series. In it, we got a better look at Oswald Cobblepot’s campaign for power and learned more about the disturbing Sofia Falcone.
Bruce Wayne’s fight with the Riddler turned Gotham to ruin. On the remains of the old order, new leaders are coming to power, and fresh alliances are being born.
Oswald Cobblepot, known as 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.
HBO
HBO
HBO
When does The Penguin release?
The show will debut on Max on Thursday, 19 September 2024. It will run for eight episodes.
Initially, The Penguin was supposed to hit Max in the spring of 2024, but the premiere was pushed back.
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.
HBO
HBO
HBO
What is the plot of The Penguin?
The series picks 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 reigns in the criminal underworld, which, after the death of the mafia boss Carmine Falcone, is left without leadership.
In the new HBO series, Penguin tries to take over power in the world of criminals – the creators describe the project as a Scarface-like story.
One of the most important characters in the series is Sofia, the daughter of the late Carmine Falcone. In comic books, she made her first appearance in 1997’s Batman: The Long Halloween. As a serial killer named The Hangman, she spent a year eliminating members of the Gotham City Police Department. She was, however, released from prison early at her father’s request.
The Penguin seems to use at least parts of Sofia’s comic book arc. In the latest trailer for the series, she appears as a power-hungry Carmine’s successor who can cause Oswald a lot of trouble.
HBO
HBO
HBO
Another important character in the series is Victor Aguilar. He is Penguin’s young driver and protégé, who accompanies him during his fight for power.
As Sarah Aubrey, head of originals at Max, 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?
The first teaser shows a slice of the Penguin’s world:
The latest teaser for the show reveals a bloody fight for power between Gotham’s mobsters:
The official trailer, presented at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, reveals Oswald’s foes and allies:
Who’s starring in The Penguin?
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 – Francis Cobb
- Shohreh Aghdashloo – Nadia Maroni
- James Madio – Milos Grapa
- Scott Cohen – Luca Falcone
- Carmen Ejogo – Eve Karlo
- Theo Rossi – Dr. Julian Rush
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.