The entertainment industry faced significant setbacks in 2023 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, leading to delays in the production of numerous TV shows and movies. Among the affected projects was the highly-anticipated The Batman spin-off focusing on The Penguin, played by Colin Farrell. However, during a recent Q4 earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav provided an update on the project, hinting at its premiere date.
David Zaslav Zaslav expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming slate of Max content during the earnings call, stating, “Looking ahead, we’ve got one of the best lineups in the history of HBO. This next quarter, we’ll have Hacks and House of the Dragon, followed by DC’s The Penguin and the new Dune series.”
Given recent reports that House of the Dragon may premiere in early Summer 2024, Zaslav’s comments logically place The Penguin on track for a fall 2024 release. This timing aligns with the recent wrap-up of production for the series, further fueled by reports of Batman actor Robert Pattinson being spotted on set during the final days.
Who is attached to The Penguin series?
The Penguin is set in the same universe as The Batman and sees Colin Farrell returning to the role of the villainous DC Comics character. Cristin Milioti plays the show’s female lead, Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Gotham City mob boss Carmine Falcone. Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Rhenzy Feliz, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, and David H. Holmes round out the cast in undisclosed roles.
Mare Of Easttown helmer Craig Zobel is directing the first two episodes of The Penguin, with Lauren LeFranc (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Chuck) overseeing the project as its writer and showrunner. Colin Farrell is an executive producer on the series alongside The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark.
The Batman opened in theaters in March 2022, earning 770.8 million at the worldwide box office, a figure that makes it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2022. Reeves is working on a sequel to the Warner Bros. project and currently writing its script alongside Mattson Tomlin.
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