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As usual, San Diego Comic-Con brought a lot of news, including an official trailer for The Penguin series. In it we got a better view of Oswald Cobblepot’s campaign for power and we learned more about the disturbing Sofia Falcone.
Bruce Wayne’s battle with the Riddler left Gotham in ruins. On the remnants of the old order, new leaders come to power and new alliances are born.
Oswald Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin, has appeared several times in films and series about Batman. Until now, the most famous interpretation of this character was that of Danny DeVito in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.
However, in Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, Colin Farrell took on the role, and was almost unrecognizable under a thick layer of makeup. The new version of the Penguin appealed so much to audiences that HBO decided to create a series about the gangster’s march to power in Gotham City.
We have collected all the essential information about this new production from the DC universe for you.
When is The Penguin coming out?
The show debuts on Max op Thursday September 19, 2024. It will last eight episodes.
Initially, The Penguin was supposed to hit Max in the spring of 2024, but the premiere was postponed.
Where can you watch The Penguin in Britain?
British fans of DC can follow The Penguin Sky TV and streaming service Now.
Each episode airs weekly at the same time as in the United States and will air on streaming shortly after the TV premiere.
What is the plot of The Penguin?
The series picks up right after the Batman movie finale. The clash with the Riddler led to Gotham City falling into disrepair, with large parts of the city being flooded. Chaos also reigns in the criminal underworld, which is left without leadership after the death of mafia boss Carmine Falcone.
In the new HBO series, Penguin tries to take over the world of criminals – the makers describe the project as a Scarface-like story.
One of the most important characters in the series is Sofia, the daughter of the late Carmine Falcone. In comic books, she first appeared in 1997’s Batman: The Long Halloween. As a serial killer called The Hangman, she spent a year eliminating members of the Gotham City Police Department. However, she was released early at her father’s request.
The Penguin seems to be using at least parts of Sofia’s comic book arc. In the latest trailer for the series, she appears as Carmine’s power-hungry successor who can cause Oswald a lot of trouble.
Another important character in the series is Victor Aguilar. He is Penguin’s young driver and protégé, who accompanies him during his struggle for power.
As Sarah Aubrey, head of originals at Max, said in an interview for Variety:
The purpose of this is to show what life is like for Oz and that is mainly on the streets of Gotham, trying to rise up like only the Penguin can. As a hustler and strategist with his own ambitions. It’s a great example of having eight episodes to tell a character story with a longer arc, with lots of delightful twists and new characters. It’s going to be very much about Gotham at that street level, because he’s not flying around like Batman does. We embrace all of that as a very specific experience for the audience.
Even more interesting is that The Penguin will serve as an introduction to The Batman: Part Two. It looks like the series will be a must-watch for all fans of the rebooted Dark Knight franchise.
Is there a trailer for The Penguin?
The first teaser shows a bit of the Penguin’s world:
The latest teaser for the show reveals a bloody battle for power between Gotham’s gangsters:
The official trailer, presented at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, reveals Oswald’s enemies and allies:
Who stars in The Penguin?
The following actors have been confirmed to star in The Penguin:
- Colin Farrell – Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot / The Penguin
- Cristin Milioti – Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine Falcone
- Michael Kelly – Johnny Vitti, the underboss of the Falcone crime family
- Clancy Brown – Salvatore Maroni, a mafia boss
- Michael Blessing – Alberto Falcone, Carmine’s son and Sofia’s brother
- Rhenzy Feliz – Victor Aguilar
- Deirdre O’Connell – Francis Cobb
- Shohreh Aghdashloo – Nadia Maroni
- James Madio – Milos Grapa
- Scott Cohen – Luca Falcone
- Carmen Ejogo – Eva Karlo
- Theo Rossi –Dr. Julian Rush
Fans of the DC universe are wondering if Robert Pattinson will appear in the series as Batman. It’s not certain if he will, but if he does, we think it will just be a cameo.
The series was created by Lauren LeFranc. Matt Reeves and Colin Farrell serve as executive producers.