The Penguin Release Date, Cast, and Plot

Can a TV series about one of the most famous members of Batman’s rogues gallery work if the show does not actually include Batman as a character? We are about to find out with The Penguin set to air soon on HBO.

A few years in the making, The Penguin will continue Oswald Cobb’s story from The Batman, which was released in March 2022 as the start of another Batman universe with Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader.

But this series might be closer to The Sopranos or Boardwalk Empire as it is about The Penguin, who will again be played by Colin Farrell. The Irish A-list actor has already leaned into some prestige TV this year when he made the neo-noir series Sugar for Apple TV+. This is Farrell’s 1st HBO project since doing the 2nd season of True Detective in 2015.

Here is everything we know so far about The Penguin, including the creators, the cast, the plot, and the release date.

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The History of Live-Action Batman TV Series

Any live-action TV series set in the Batman universe has been pretty rare. Of course, there was the classic Adam West-led series in the late 1960s, but some would argue that campy romp killed putting Batman on a live-action screen for 2 decades before Tim Burton and Michael Keaton made Batman a phenomenon again in 1989.

But animated series were really the driving force on the small screen for Batman in the 1990s and 2000s. Birds of Prey was a failed series for the WB in 2002-03, then it wasn’t until FOX’s Gotham debuted in 2014 that we really saw a quality take on the Batman universe on TV. Of course, the kicker there was Bruce Young was only a teenage boy who was years away from becoming Batman.

While recent years have brought shows like Batwoman, Titans, and Gotham Knights, the closest thing to something like The Penguin might be Pennyworth, a show that focused on the younger years of Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth. That show took place before Bruce was even born, and it did well with 3 seasons in 2019-22 as a Batman-related show without Batman.

The Penguin looks to be an even bigger success as it is set directly in the universe of The Batman film with Pattison and Farrell.

Who Is the Creative Team Behind The Penguin?

Going back to 2021, HBO Max was already shopping the idea for a spin-off series about The Penguin character, who features as a side villain to The Riddler in The Batman, which was directed by Matt Reeves. It was Reeves who felt exploring Penguin’s story could take place in a sequel, but HBO thought it could work as a series too.

Lauren LeFranc will serve as showrunner after previously working on Impulse and a producer on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Reeves is serving as an executive producer on the series, which is produced by DC Studios.

Filmmaker Craig Zobel (Compliance, Mare of Easttown) has directed the first 3 episodes of The Penguin.

It was announced earlier this summer that the show would debut on the classic HBO brand rather than a Max original.

What Is the Plot of The Penguin?

Spoilers: You should obviously watch The Batman (2022) before reading this or watching The Penguin.

The Penguin is set to take place a week after the events of The Batman movie from 2022. We will see the rise to power of Oswald “Oz” Cobb, also known as The Penguin, a nickname he detests. 

In the movie, Oz was not that powerful yet as the owner of the Iceberg Lounge and a chief lieutenant for Carmine Falcone, who was killed by The Riddler. The series will showcase him becoming a bigger force in the criminal underworld of Gotham City.

Reeves has described this Penguin as a Fredo Corleone type of character from The Godfather. That’s someone who wants to be a bigshot in a family of real bigshots, but he may not have the strength or intelligence to pull it off.

At his core, this Penguin is also a heartbroken man inside. It’s a very different take than the nightmarish version of the character that Danny DeVito played in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992).

But we will see his thirst for power and awkwardness really take over in this series as the lead character when he didn’t get a ton of screen time in The Batman.

Who Is in the Cast of The Penguin?

Farrell returns to play The Penguin in all the glory of makeup that transforms him into a very different-looking person than what we are used to seeing from the In Bruges star.

Another main character who was not in The Batman is Sofia Falcone, played by actress Cristin Milioti, who is known for Palm Springs, How I Met Your Mother, and The Wolf of Wall Street. If you’re not familiar with her, make sure to watch Palm Springs. She should do a great job here.

Milioti’s Falcone is the daughter of Carmine, and she is a dangerous serial killer who was revealed to be behind The Long Halloween killings in Gotham. After she’s released from Arkham Asylum, she will compete with Oz for control of the Gotham underworld.

Another main character is Victor Aguilar, a teenager who befriends Penguin and becomes his driver. He will be played by Rhenzy Feliz (Marvel’s Runaways).

Other recurring characters to note:

• Michael Kelly (House of Cards, Jack Ryan) as Johnny Vitti, the underboss of the Falcone crime family.
• Clancy Brown (Carnivale, Dexter: New Blood) as Salvatore Maroni, a mob boss and drug trafficker who is a rival to the Falcone family and possible ally for Oz.
• Deirdre O’Connell (The Path) as Francis Cobb, Oz’s mentally disturbed mother.
• Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy) as Julian Rush, a doctor.

Actor Mark Strong (Kingsman: The Secret Service) has also been confirmed in an unknown role.

Rumor has had it since 2023 that Robert Pattinson will make an appearance as Batman in The Penguin as this series will be a bridge between The Batman and its upcoming sequel. But that has not been confirmed at all, and if it happens, it would likely be a quick scene in the finale.

When Is The Penguin Being Released?

The 1st episode of The Penguin will debut on HBO on September 19, 2024. It will also be available to stream on Max. After the debut, the series will move to Sunday nights on HBO starting on September 29, 2024.

There are 8 episodes in The Penguin with the finale scheduled to air on November 10, 2024.