From Ryan Cordaro

At the time of writing this, Marvel’s Hall H panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is about to begin. Right before that, though, was a little DC panel that focused on The Batman, the self-contained franchise with Robert Pattinson taking on the cape and cowl. There’s been a lot of debate on if this will merge with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s upcoming rebooted DCU, and as of right now, all signs are pointing to the two staying in their own contained bubbles. I’m admittedly a little split on keeping them apart, but at least we know that the Battinson (in the vein of Batfleck) universe will be continuing on. This continuation starts with its first spin-off series, The Penguin.

The Penguin will serve as a bridge between The Batman and its sequel, which will release on October 2, 2026, barring any delays. Not much is known about specific plot details, but what we do know is that the series is set two weeks after the events of The Batman. It will chronicle Oz’s rise to power after the assassination of Carmine Falcone. The series made headlines with the announcement that, along with upcoming DCU series Lanterns and Dune spinoff/prequel Prophecy, will be jumping ship to proper HBO after being announced as Max Originals. The Elseworlds project, which is being headed by Matt Reeves, was recently named “The Batman Epic Crime Saga.” Personally, I prefer “The The Batman Crime Universe,” but maybe that one was a little too wordy too.

Colin Farrell (Sugar, The Lobster) reprises his role as Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin, from The Batman. He’s also joined by Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs, The Resort), Rhenzhy Feliz (Encanto, The Tender Bar), Michael Kelly (Tom Clancu’s Jack Ryan, Chronicle), Shoreh Aghdashloo (24, Damsel), Deidre O’Connell (Outer Range, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Clancy Brown (SpongeBob SquarePants, Gen V), James Madio (The Offer, The Basketball Diaries), Scott Cohen (The 10th Kingdom, Love & Other Drugs), Michael Zegen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Frances Ha), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy, Emily the Criminal), Carmen Ejogo (It Comes at Night, The Crowded Room), François Chau (Boy Kills World, Lost), Jared Abrahamson (The Changeling, American Animals), and Mark Strong (1917, the upcoming Dune: Prophecy). Strong is rumored to be playing Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in The Batman. Since his death is a huge aspect in the trailer, I’m thinking that if this rumor is true, the scenes are most likely flashbacks. 

The Penguin will air weekly on HBO starting on September 19, 2024 and will include eight episodes. Like other HBO series like House of the Dragon, it will hit Max simultaneously with its first airing on HBO.

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