The Penguin: First Image & Footage For Max Batman Spinoff Series Unveiled

The first image and footage from Matt Reeves’ Batman spinoff Max series The Penguin was revealed today coming out of the Warner Bros Discovery presser for the streaming service this AM. No premiere date was announced today; hopefully we’ll be seeing this one make a splash at San Diego Comic-Con this summer.

Colin Farrell reprises his Batman villain in this eight-episode DC Studios drama series which continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ $771M-grossoing global blockbuster last year. As we told you last week, The Batman, which repped Warner Bros. returned to full theatrical releases coming out of the pandemic last year, netted a profit of $177M.

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The room was treated to the first footage of the series, which is in production per Casey Bloys. It has the look of dark Sopranos, with Farrell playing full on crime boss. We see him swooning a brunette over dinner, limping and climbing subway stairs and boldly shooting someone from his smoking chair (“you step out of line even once, I’ll cut you like a god-damn fish,” exclaims Penguin.).

“You ask yourself, what kind of life do I want?” says the Penguin in a voiceover, “The world isn’t built for guys like us; that’s why we have to take what’s ours.”

New DC bosses Peter Safran and James Gunn have made it clear that Reeves’ Batman is part of their else-verse, which is not part of their phase one “Gods and Monsters” DC universe. Reeves’ feature sequel, Batman II, is hitting cinemas on Oct. 3, 2025. Safran and Gunn have their own Batman in the works, The Brave and the Bold, which follows Bruce Wayne and the spitfire, renegade son he didn’t know he had: Damien Wayne, who takes on the alias of Robin.

Here’s the new look of Farrell in Max’s Penguin:

The previously announced cast includes Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O’Connell, with Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen recurring.

The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro. Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, The Penguin is produced by Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer and Rafi Crohn is co-executive producer.