Production on The Batman’s upcoming Penguin spinoff isn’t scheduled to begin until early next year. But this didn’t stop Colin Farrell from dropping a few spoiler-y hints about the HBO Max series in a new interview with ExtraTV. While promoting his latest film, The Banshees of Inisherin, Farrell was asked about returning to the role of Oswald Cobblepot, which was routinely touted as one of The Batman’s many strengths. He also confirmed when the series takes place.
The Penguin (which may or may not be the official title) aims to chart Cobblepot’s rise to the top of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Many fans assumed this meant an origin story set before the events of The Batman was in order. But now it sounds like the show will pick up after the reboot’s explosive grand finale. Specifically, one week after The Riddler’s bombs destroyed the seawall around Gotham and flooded the city.
“Gotham is still somewhat underwater,” revealed Farrell. “I read the first script for the first episode, and it opens up with my feet splashing through the water in Falcone’s office. Even just that alone, I read it, I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’”
Colin Farrell says The Penguin spin-off picks up a week after #TheBatman… and teases the very first scene!
Full interview: https://t.co/3gv9jdFGNB pic.twitter.com/QxfREIyU38
— ExtraTV (@extratv) October 11, 2022
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Farrell also praised the work of showrunner Lauren LeFranc, calling her pilot script “lovely” and “so well-written.”
“She’s writing the whole thing and showrunning, and she’s formidable,” added Farrell. “It’s just a very exciting prospect because I love that character and I was greedy with it. I felt like I didn’t have enough. I wanted to do it more and more and more, so now I’m getting the chance.”
Last week, The Penguin enlisted HBO’s Mare of Easttown director Craig Zobel to helm several episodes of the series. Zobel and LeFranc will also executive produce alongside The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark.
HBO Max hasn’t announced a release date for this spinoff series yet.
Are you excited to see this opening play out onscreen? Let us know in the comment section below!
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