Although little is currently known about the HBO Max series starring Colin Farrell's Penguin, The Batman director Matt Reeves recently revealed that the idea for the show was originally envisioned as a sequel to his upcoming film.
During an interview with Variety, Reeves recalled making an offhand comment to Warner Bros. executives about how a sequel to The Batman could shed some light on how Oswald Cobblepot became the crime lord known as the Penguin. "And they were like, 'Oh, we want to do that as a show,'" Reeves revealed.
Notably, Farrell himself previously suggested his portrayal of Cobblepot in The Batman is not entirely comics-accurate. "There is one scene where I have an umbrella in my hand, but it doesn't have a trigger on the handle," Farrell said. "He does have a limping gait, so there is somewhat of a waddle there. But Oz is not yet fully inhabiting the mythology of the Penguin and doesn't take too kindly to the monicker."
With Penguin is also missing his signature cigar in The Batman -- something Farrell believes is tied to the character's lowly rank in the Falcone crime family -- a producer on the film assured fans that the spinoff series will not only depict Penguin's rise to power, but that his story even rivals the infamous rise of Tony Montana from the 1983 film Scarface. "We're doing one with [Farrell]," producer Dylan Clarke said of The Batman's planned spinoffs, "seeing Oz rise to power, almost like a Scarface story. It's exciting to do something like that just as a standalone, but it speaks to the character and our movie, so that you’ll go back to the movie [and say], 'Oh, I see that backstory there, that line refers to this.'"
With his sequel idea having been turned into a show alongside a separate series following the Gotham City Police Department, the director has yet to reveal what other ideas he has for a follow-up to The Batman. However, Reeves has confirmed talks regarding another film are already taking place. "I really believe in what we've done and I'd be excited to tell more stories," he said.
The Batman hits theaters March 4.
Source: Variety