The release date window for the highly-anticipated The Batman Saga series The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell, has just been narrowed.
When is The Penguin releasing on Max?
Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, revealed that The Penguin will be “the next big tentpole series” after House of the Dragon Season 2 to premiere on Max.
In an interview with Variety, Bloys shared, “That is coming out of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and it’s fantastic. Just like Peacemaker came out of James Gunn’s Suicide Squad, it’s a really good example of what you can do. That’ll be in September.”
The Penguin was first announced in September 2021 and will take place one week after the events of the 2022 movie The Batman. The eight-episode limited series follows Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot as he attempts to take control of Gotham’s criminal underworld.
Production on The Penguin began in March 2023 but was halted that June due to the WGA (and later SAG) strike. Filming resumed in November 2023 following the conclusion of the strikes and wrapped in February 2024.
Besides Farrell, The Penguin stars Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) as Sofia Falcone, Michael Zegen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Alberto Falcone, and Clancy Brown (Gen V) as Salvatore Maroni. All three were briefly featured in the first trailer for The Penguin.
The limited series also features the talents of Michael Kelly, Rhenzy Feliz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Theo Rossi, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, David H. Holmes, and Craig Walker. Mark Strong, who notably played Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in the Shazam! duology, has also been cast in a mystery role.
The Penguin will be followed by The Batman Part II, which will feature the return of Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Reeves is directing the theatrical follow-up from a screenplay that will be co-written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin.
Originally scheduled to hit theaters in October 2025, Warner Bros. announced in March 2024 that the sequel had been delayed to October 2026. No reason was given at the time for the delay, although insider Jeff Sneider later reported that the 2023 Hollywood strikes and “lack of available stages” impacted The Batman Part II’s production start date.
The Penguin is slated to premiere on Max in September 2024.
