After the massive success of Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022, it was no surprise that Warner Bros. deemed that the franchise would continue. However, rather than a sequel on the silver screen from the director of Cloverfield and Let Me In (which is on the way), fans were surprised to learn that the next chapter would manifest in the form of a TV show following Colin Farrell’s version of The Penguin. 

The eight-episode limited series written by Lauren LeFranc received a straight-to-series order from WBD streamer Max in March 2022. While Reeves would remain involved as an executive producer, the production brought on Craig Zobel and Helen Shaver to direct the episodes. And along with Farrell, the series rounds out the cast with Cristin Milioti, Clancy Brown, Michael Zegen, Theo Rossi, Mark Strong, and others. 

Despite all the major pieces being in place for The Penguin, there was still a matter of the release date. Filming began in March 2023, but paused a few months later due to the WGA strike. Production resumed in November 2023 and concluded in February 2024, which is around the time when the show was originally estimated to premiere. Now, it looks like we finally have a better idea of when fans can finally see the highly-anticipated series. 

Penguin Triumphant

Colin Farrell as The Penguin in ‘The Batman’

In a recent feature from Variety about the upcoming Max launch in France and Belgium, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Casey Bloys discussed the upcoming additions to their programming slate that will soon be available in these new markets as well as around the world. The executive touched on some major projects like House of the Dragon, prequels to Dune and Stephen King’s It, and a previously unannounced series set in the world of Crazy Rich Asians. Bloys also mentioned upcoming DC Universe productions featuring John Cena’s Peacemaker and the Green Lantern Corps. That’s when Oswald Cobblepot entered the conversation. 

“After House of the Dragon, the next big tentpole series that we have coming up will be The Penguin with Colin Farrell. That is coming out of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and it’s fantastic. Just like Peacemaker came out of James Gunn’s Suicide Squad, it’s a really good example of what you can do. That’ll be in September.”

While many penguins prefer a colder climate, it would seem that Gotham City’s native species is more inclined toward the fall. And when we do finally catch up with the fowl monster,  we will apparently be catching up with him about one week after the events of The Batman. Cobblepot is on the rise in the criminal underworld after the demise of Carmine Falcone. However, Milioti’s Sofia Falcone is set to challenge Penguin for control and step into the role her father once held.

And though September 2024 is still a fairly large window, we here at That Hashtag Show will be sure to update our readers as soon as we have a more precise release date.   

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The Penguin – New DC Series Mirrors ‘The Batman’ [Teaser Trailer]