What’s in store for the DC Universe? Well, while Warner Bros. Discovery canceled projects like “Batgirl” and “Wonder Twins,” and many worried about the state of dozens of projects still in development, filmmaker Matt Reeves’ take on the “Batman” universe is still moving forward unbothered. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the “Penguin” spinoff series starring Colin Farrell is still moving ahead and has hired a new director.
Warner Bros and HBO Max have hired “Mare Of Easttown” filmmaker Craig Zobel to direct the series’ first two episodes.st two episodes. Also known for “Compliance” (2012), “Z for Zachariah” (2015), and “The Hunt” (2020), Zobel will also executive produce the series.
Farrell will reprise the role of Gotham criminal Oswald Copplepot as he climbs the criminal ranks. This character iteration was introduced to audiences earlier this year in “The Batman.” Heavy prosthetic makeup was used to make Farrell look unrecognizable in the superhero pic as The Penguin, and we assume that impressive makeup will continue to be employed in the spinoff too.
The series hails from writer and showrunner Lauren LeFranc, with Reeves also producing. It should be interesting to see who they end up casting around Farrell and if we’ll see other members of the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery in the HBO Max project.
While there isn’t a drop date, Farrell had stated in interviews that they could begin filming as early as February and confirmed Reeves wouldn’t be directing episodes of the DC series. Farrell is expected to return for the untitled feature film sequel as well, although it hasn’t been made official.
Either way, “The Penguin” is expected to tell a story between “The Batman” and the sequel, potentially teeing it all up and providing the context for where Gotham’s criminal underground is at the moment.