The Batman producer Dylan Clark has revealed that a new spin-off series expanding the world of the 2022 DC movie is in development.
Following the success of Matt Reeves‘ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, a theatrical sequel and a spin-off series focusing on Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobblepot/Penguin were greenlit by Warner Bros. and HBO Max, respectively. While another spin-off, initially set to focus on the Gotham City Police Department, was also reported around this time, it is no longer in active development.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote The Penguin limited series, Clark confirmed that The Batman Saga will receive another spin-off series, although he was sparse on details. “There’s another television exploration we’re going to do,” he said. “We’re looking at this entire world as it relates to who Batman is — the antagonists around them, all the crime that has to be navigated in the city — and trying to figure out where are the areas that are best to explore.”
The Penguin features elements from a scrapped The Batman spin-off
HBO Max originally handed out a series commitment for a police procedural set in The Batman Saga, following a corrupt cop in the Gotham City Police Department. While the series eventually evolved into an Arkham Asylum spin-off, which is no longer moving forward at Max, EW revealed that some elements from the Gotham PD treatment were incorporated into The Penguin.
Set one week after the events of The Batman, the eight-episode limited series charts Oswald Cobblepot’s rise to power in Gotham’s criminal underworld following the death of mobster Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). The series will introduce Falcone’s adult children, Sofia (Cristin Milioti) and Albert (Michael Zegen), as well as rival mob boss Salvator Maroni (Clancy Brown).
Rhenzy Feliz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Theo Rossi, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, David H. Holmes, Michael Kelly, Craig Walker, and Mark Strong also star in the upcoming DC series.
The Penguin is set to premiere on HBO on September 19, 2024.