The hype about the upcoming DC film The Batman is all about Robert Pattinson’s debut as the caped crusader, but his arch nemisis has already been set up for some post-film screentime. As Variety detailed on Monday, HBO Max has a spinoff series in the works featuring The Penguin, the bad guy played in the upcoming Matt Reeves film by Collin Farrell.
Colin Farrell is set to play the notorious supervillain in “The Batman.” According to sources, Farrell has been approached to star in the spinoff series but no deal is currently in place. Sources also say that Lauren LeFranc is attached to write the script for the project, which is in its very early stages.
The show would supposedly delve into The Penguin’s rise to power in the Gotham criminal underworld.
HBO Max has become a landing spot of sorts for alt-hero DC projects. But a gritty Penguin-themed project featuring the origin story of Oswald Cobblepot would be a departure from the more comedic standouts, like the animated Harley Quinn.
Though the report notes that the development is still in the early stages, it does seem to indicate that Warners is intent on a Marvel-like expansion between their DC movie and TV worlds. Whether The Batman will have enough juice to make Farrell’s Penguin worth investing in for fans, well, we’ll all just have to wait and see.
[via Variety]