The Penguin is a crime drama television miniseries created by Lauren LeFranc and produced by DC Studios. Starring Colin Farrell as the eponymous gangster, it depicts his struggle for power within Gotham City's criminal underworld. All eight episodes aired on HBO in late 2024.
The series was released to critical acclaim, with many praising its writing, direction, tone, production values, and performances, earning several award nominations. It is a part of The Batman Saga, and serves to bridge the gap between The Batman and The Batman – Part II.
Plot[]
Following the events of The Batman, a post-flood Gotham City is experiencing a power vacuum in its criminal organizations after the death of Carmine Falcone.[1] In the midst of all this chaos, low-level mobster Oswald "Oz" Cobb, nicknamed "The Penguin", attempts to make a grab for control of the streets, which brings him into direct conflict with Carmine's daughter, Sofia Falcone, and the Maroni Crime Family.[2]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb/Penguin
- Cristin Milioti as Sofia Gigante
- Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar
- Deirdre O'Connell as Francis Cobb
- Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni
- Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo
Recurring[]
- Michael Kelly as Johnny Viti
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni
- Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone
- James Madio as Milos Grapa
- Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone
- Theo Rossi as Dr. Julian Rush
- David H. Holmes as Nick Fuchs
- Jared Abrahamson as Squid
- Mark Strong as Carmine Falcone
- Louis Cancelmi as Rex Calabrese
Episodes[]
| Ep# | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "After Hours" | September 19, 2024 |
| 2 | "Inside Man" | September 29, 2024 |
| 3 | "Bliss" | October 6, 2024 |
| 4 | "Cent'anni" | October 13, 2024 |
| 5 | "Homecoming" | October 20, 2024 |
| 6 | "Gold Summit" | October 27, 2024 |
| 7 | "Top Hat" | November 3, 2024 |
| 8 | "A Great or Little Thing" | November 10, 2024 |
Production[]
In September 2021, it was announced that HBO Max was developing a spin-off TV series from Matt Reeves' film The Batman centered around the Penguin, drawing heavy influence from gangster stories like Scarface.[3] Lauren LeFranc was hired as showrunner, while Reeves and Dylan Clark acted as executive producers.[4] When James Gunn and Peter Safran were named co-CEOs of DC Studios in late 2022, they placed The Penguin and any other projects in The Batman Saga under the studio's new "DC Elseworlds" banner.[5] It was later announced the first episode would take place one week after the ending of The Batman,[1] while the series finale would directly tease The Batman – Part II.[6]
Principal photography officially began on March 1, 2023, under the working title Boss.[7] The series was filmed in New York City,[8] and was set to film over five to six months.[9] However, the concurrent Writer's Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes forced the series to halt production from June[10] to November 27.[11] Filming officially wrapped in February 2024.[12]
The musical score for The Penguin was composed by Mick Giacchino, son of Michael Giacchino, who composed the music for The Batman.[13]
The Penguin Official Podcast released alongside the series, with new episodes featuring interviews with the cast and crew about the making of the corresponding TV episode hosted by film critic Amy Nicholson.
Trivia[]
- The Penguin is the first project produced by DC Studios since its restructuring, and the first released under its "DC Elseworlds" banner.
- Originally developed as a Max original series, The Penguin was later rebranded as an HBO original.
- The first episode premiered on Max on September 19, then aired on HBO on September 22. Subsequent episodes premiered on both simultaneously.
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Penguin Starts One Week After The Batman Ending and Will Run "Six to Eight Hours," Says Colin Farrell: "Gotham Is Still Underwater" – Variety
- ↑ Watch The Penguin – Max
- ↑ Penguin Spinoff Series In The Works At HBO Max – Deadline
- ↑ The Batman Spinoff Series About Penguin in Early Development at HBO Max – Variety
- ↑ The Batman Part II Sets 2025 Release Date as Part of Newly Branded "DC Elseworlds" Projects – Variety
- ↑ HBO Max's Sarah Aubrey Teases The Penguin, Dune: The Sisterhood, And Just Like That Season 2 and Likelihood of a Harry Potter Series – Variety
- ↑ The Batman's Penguin Spinoff Reveals Mafia-Inspired Working Title, Cryptic Set Photo – Comic Book Resources
- ↑ Colin Farrell Is Completely Unrecognizable in Iconic Villain Role – Parade
- ↑ Colin Farrell Teases The Penguin Series: The Batman Was Just the "Tip of the Iceberg" - Variety
- ↑ Daredevil: Born Again & The Penguin Productions Paused Until After WGA Strike – Deadline Hollywood
- ↑ DC's The Penguin Max Series Resumes Filming Post-SAG Strike, Filming Locations Revealed – Covered Geekly
- ↑ The Penguin: The Batman Spinoff Series Reportedly Wraps Filming – Bleeding Cool
- ↑ The Batman Composer Michael Giacchino's Son Is Scoring The Penguin – ComicBook.com