The Penguin: everything to know about the Batman spinoff, from the 'Scarface story' to Colin Farrell's transformation

The highly-anticipated merchandise of The Penguin, the caller blockbuster HBO Max series, drops today, and fans are connected tenterhooks waiting to spot Colin Farrell’s terrifying transformation.

Eerie, dark, gloomy and afloat of violence, the spin-off amusement based connected the DC Comics Batman quality is acceptable to beryllium a humdinger, with a formed afloat of stars and filmmaker Matt Reeves, who made 2022’s The Batman, an enforcement producer.

Plus, it’s present been 2 years since the past Batman movie was released – and fans are much than acceptable to find retired what happens next.

The Penguin is going to travel the beingness and crimes of mob brag Oswald Cobblepot, who comes to beryllium known arsenic the Penguin, arsenic helium rises to powerfulness successful Gotham. Often listed arsenic 1 of the champion comic publication villains of each time, Penguin is cruel, afloat of range, perpetually surrounded by convulsive henchmen, and a maestro manipulator – aka not idiosyncratic to transverse lightly.

Here’s what to cognize astir the caller series.

The Penguin is going to beryllium released successful the UK connected Sky Atlantic and NOW connected September 20.

Yes, we’ve popped it astatine the apical of the page.

The archetypal trailer, which was released successful May, is strikingly tense, mounting the code for the forthcoming series, arsenic the Penguin speaks to an chartless quality sitting conscionable down the camera, arsenic knives are wielded, explosions capable the metropolis sky, idiosyncratic shoots a tied up body, arsenic fights interruption retired successful cars and arsenic a pistillate screams.

A benignant of orangish haze ripples down a skyline, glimmering done model panes, oregon reflecting disconnected a building’s façade. Most of the scenes are composed of shades of black, grey and acheronian browns – the Penguin’s look is astir a grimy acheronian yellow, oregon green; Gotham is depicted astatine nighttime, the skies are grey and it’s raining. And this is truly the grade of the airy successful the forthcoming bid – a superb mode to bring location the information that Gotham is an unhappy, dangerous, crime-ridden place.

The caller bid is acceptable soon aft the events of The Batman, and follows the Penguin’s emergence to powerfulness successful Gotham.

“We wanted it to be, not successful a grandiose way, but successful a mythic Shakespearean way, this benignant of large tale,” said Reeves, speaking astatine San Diego Comic-Con successful July.

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc added: “It’s a Scarface story. It’s a rise-to-power communicative of Oz earlier helium truly makes it to the top.”

Oscar-nominated Colin Farrell, 47, is the Penguin successful the caller amusement – his astir breathtaking relation yet. And though we already saw Farrell play the Penguin successful Reeves’s The Batman (2022), helium had to stock the surface with different acting powerhouses, including Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis.

In the caller bid this isn’t the case. His translation is genuinely singular and judging by the trailer, the relation is acceptable to beryllium 1 of the astir important of his career.

“I curse to God, I inactive cannot spot Colin Farrell nether that constitution nary substance however hard I squint. Probably 1 of the champion constitution jobs successful the past of cinema,” commented 1 instrumentality nether the trailer, summarising the wide sentiment astir Farrell’s phenomenal embodiment of the mobster.

The remainder of the formed is besides star-studded. There’s a haunted-looking Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) who volition play Sofia Falcone, the girl of precocious transgression brag Carmine Falcone. Clancy Brown (Billions) volition play mob brag Sal Maroni, Michael Zegen is Sofia’s member Alberto, and Michael Kelly arsenic Falcone underboss Johnny Vitti.

Mark Strong, François Chau (Lost), Carmen Ejogo (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy) and James Madio (Band of Brothers) volition besides diagnostic successful undisclosed roles.

The Penguin has been created by a stellar team: Reeves, whose movies see the terrifying Cloverfield (2008) and the ambitious Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), is an enforcement shaper connected the eight-part series.

Its showrunner, Lauren LeFranc, antecedently worked arsenic a shaper connected Impulse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chuck and Hemlock Grove. And filmmaker Craig Zobel, whose credits see episodes of The Leftovers, American Gods, and Westworld, and the miniseries Mare of Easttown, is directing the archetypal 3 episodes. Helen Shaver, who was nominated for an Emmy for directing Summer's End (1999) is besides acceptable to direct.

The Penguin reviews haven’t yet been published, but with the series’ merchandise conscionable astir the corner, we presume they’ll beryllium coming retired precise soon. We’ll update this conception arsenic soon arsenic we cognize more.

The Penguin volition beryllium released successful the UK connected Sky Atlantic and NOW connected September 20