This isn’t your father’s Penguin. That seems to be the message of the newest trailer for Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman spinoff series, The Penguin.
Of course, The Batman wasn’t really Batman like we’d seen him before, but The Penguin seems to be veering even further away from the traditional comic book style. Instead, the series is a mob thriller, focusing on Colin Farrell’s take on The Penguin as he rises up in an attempt to take over the Falcone crime family after the events caused by The Riddler in The Batman. Standing in his way is not just most of the crime syndicate but also Carmine Falcone’s two children, Al (Michael Zegen) and Sofia (Cristin Milioti), who both want to rule as well. All of this takes place in a collapsing Gotham City, and so far, there’s no sign of Batman.
That all seems to be by design, as the series will look to make a name for itself without the Dark Knight butting in. Farrell’s Penguin, for which the actor looks unrecognizable, isn’t the wobbling, umbrella-wielding criminal from the comics or even the disturbing Tim Burton version. Instead, while he may somewhat resemble his nickname, he’s far more Oswald than Penguin and far more threatening than ever before. That’s about all we can ask for.
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Reeves is carving himself out his own little corner in James Gunn’s DC film and television plans. There is a second Batman film with Robert Pattinson coming that will continue the story from the conclusion of this series. However, Reeves’ shows and films are not part of Gunn’s cinematic universe, being under the DC Elseworlds label, meaning they can play out however they like.
The Penguin will land on Max this September.
