Move over Batman, it looks like we are getting a Penguin spin-off series

Not content with re-imagining Gotham City and its inhabitants for upcoming film The Batman, Matt Reeves is apparently in talks to create a new Penguin series for HBO Max, on top of an already announced detective series set in Gotham.

This is according to Deadline, which has revealed that Warner seems to be going for a dual-pronged approach to the big and small screen for Batman, much like what is happening with The Suicide Squad and its Peacemaker TV show spin-off.

In The Batman, under heavy prosthetics, Colin Farrell will be playing The Penguin. Farrell admitted recently, however, that he hasn't actually got that many scenes in what is being described as "the most emotional" Batman movie ever made.

This could well mean that they are saving the meat of the character for a spin-off show, although it's not certain if Farrell will reprise the role.

Deadline hasn't got that many details about the show, but has said that it has spoken to people close to the project and that it will be "Scarface-like" in its look at the rise of The Penguin from Oswald Cobblepot to fully fledged Gotham mobster.

Pick up a Penguin

Now, this isn't the first time we have seen The Penguin on the small screen. He was played by Burgess Meredith in the original Batman TV series and, more recently, was one of the main stars in Gotham (played by Robin Lord Taylor) - a TV show that charted the beginning of the character.

In fact, Gotham treads very similar territory to both the mooted Gotham detective series and a Penguin spin-off. It sounds like with Matt Reeves in charge, though, these TV projects will take on a more cinematic feel.

Also, having Terence Winter developing the detective show (who helped create The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire) there are some serious heavyweights behind these spin-offs.

The Batman release date is March 2022, so plenty of time then for HBO Max and Warner to actually (and hopefully) announce officially that The Penguin is waddling on to the small screen.

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