Actor Colin Farrell is excited to step back into the fancy shoes of Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot in the HBO Max series The Penguin.
During an interview with Collider for his and co-star Brendan Gleeson's upcoming film The Banshees of Inisherin, the Cobblepot actor was asked if there was any news to be shared on the spinoff's development. Though Farrell did not confirm anything, he shared his feelings on the pilot's script. "I read the first episode which was just so tasty and so unusual." He went on to praise The Batman director Matt Reeves for his focus on working to bring the next iteration of Cobblepot to life. Farrell continued on to mention that should the project go through, he believed it would be filmed in New York. This matches earlier reports that also stated The Batman spinoff would begin shooting Feb. 6 of 2023.
The series will follow the mid-tier gangster as he ascends the ladder of Gotham's criminal underworld. Initially one of Carmine Falcone's underlings, he is set to rise to power in the chaos of Gotham's flooding and Falcone's death that occurred at the end of The Batman -- both of which were orchestrated by The Riddler. Though not even in production yet, the series is said to be evoking fellow HBO series The Sopranos.
The Penguin's Back for Blood
Farrell first appeared as Cobblepot in The Batman, a reboot of the franchise which saw Robert Pattinson step into the role of the Caped Crusader. Earning $770.8 million USD, it was a commercial success for Warner Bros. Discovery. Despite being a core member of Batman's Rogues Gallery, the Penguin has only been featured in a live-action role once before by Danny Devito in Batman Returns.
The fate of The Penguin and other projects from HBO Max has been a cause of concern for fans in the wake of the mass cancelations and layoffs between the streaming service and Warner Bros. Discovery. Titles such as Batgirl, Wonder Twins and Scoob! Holiday Haunt were axed, with Batgirl having been fully shot prior to its termination. The so-called "content purge" extends to shows and films that were previously available on the streamer as well.
The Penguin series does not currently have a release date, but it will stream on HBO Max.
Source: YouTube