A printed newspaper may hold the scoop about plot details for HBO's The Penguin, which sees Colin Farrell reprise his The Batman role as the titular villain.
A photo posted on Imgur offers a hint of what The Batman spinoff may have in store for Oswald "Oz" Copplebot. In the image, a scrap of paper, likely a leftover prop from The Penguin's New York City set, is meant to be the fictional Gotham City Gazette with a headline about "Missing Scientists." The second line is only partially legible, but the word "Tensions" can be clearly made out, preceded by either "International" or "National." The user who posted the image claimed the prop was found on 50th and 8th Ave in New York City. "[Was] completely soaked so I couldn't open it, but the headline is about Missing Scientists and on the other side is a picture of two Asian actors dressed as scientists," they wrote.
HBO's The Penguin will consist of eight episodes and take place after the events of The Batman. The series started shooting in March 2023 and, while plot details have been kept under wraps, it is understood that the story will revolve around Oswald's rise as a crime lord in Gotham City. The Batman director Matt Reeves, who serves as an executive producer on The Penguin, described the series as Penguin's "Scarface moment," referencing Brian De Palma's 1983 gangster movie starring Al Pacino.
The Penguin Is Oswald Cobblepot's Scarface Moment
"The moment where everyone's underestimated him, he's gonna reach for power in Gotham," Reeves said. "Lauren LeFranc, who wrote it and who's the showrunner, she's so wonderful. She dug into the character. I kept showing her the movie as she was working on the script before the movie was ever done." Farrell similarly stated the show was about "filling that power vacuum created when [mob boss Carmine] Falcone was killed." Falcone's daughter Sofia, played in the miniseries by Cristin Milioti, is rumored to serve as the Penguin's rival and love interest.
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, The Penguin first appeared in Detective Comics in 1941. It's currently unknown how The Penguin will connect to the sequel to The Batman, but Farrell has said that if the miniseries proves to be popular, he might return in The Batman 2. Robert Pattinson, who portrayed Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 2022 film, is rumored to make an appearance in The Penguin, most likely in civilian clothes, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Among the confirmed cast members is Rhenzy Feliz from Marvel's The Runaways as Cobblepot's driver. Similarly, another prominent gangster is expected to appear in The Penguin, with actor Clancy Brown confirmed for the role of Salvatore Maroni. In Batman mythos, Maroni is the character responsible for turning Harvey Dent into the villainous Two-Face.
The Batman is currently available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Imgur