HBO Max (as it is currently called) has released a first look teaser of Matt Reeves’ The Batman spin-off series The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell. The series is currently in production and the teaser is part-trailer, and partly behind-the-scenes footage. It reveals a surprising amount, given that the series isn’t set for release until 2024.
Farrell’s voice-over tell us; “This is one of those moments you gotta ask yourself ‘what kinda life do I want?’ The world ain’t built for guys like us, that’s why we gotta take whatever we decide is ours.” We get our first look at Carmen Ejogo, Michael Kelly, and Cristin Milioti (who plays Sofia Falcone, the daughter of John Turturro’s Carmine) in the teaser as well.
The teaser promises a ‘The Sopranos meets the DC Universe’ feel, as it’s very much a gangster story. A highlight is Farrell waving around a crowbar and saying; “If you step outta line, even once, I’ll gut you like a goddamn fish.” We also see him shooting someone at pointblank range and than laughing. His last words are; “The new Kingpin of Gotham.”
It’s good to see that Farrell’s villain The Penguin will be getting his own series, as he didn’t get enough screen-time in The Batman, as that was more focused on Paul Dano’s Riddler and Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman. We don’t know much about The Batman 2 yet, but it would be surprising if Barry Keoghan’s Joker wasn’t the main villain after he was introduced in a credits scene.
The Penguin teaser is just one of several announcements made by HBO Max, as they are changing their name to Max and introducing a new pricing structure. Another Game of Thrones prequel has been greenlit and the rumoured Harry Potter TV series has been confirmed.
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