The Penguin Will Show Oz as a “Hustler and a Strategist” on the Mean Streets of Gotham

The Batman fans will see a different side to The Penguin as he becomes more of a hustler in the upcoming spin-off show.

During an interview with Variety, HBO Max head of originals Sarah Aubrey revealed that Colin Farrell’s Penguin is a gritty, grounded villain.

“The goal of this is to show what Oz’s life is like and that’s very much in the streets of Gotham, trying to get up and over as only the Penguin can,” she said. “As a hustler and a strategist with his own ambitions. It is a great example of having the time over eight episodes to tell a longer-arc character story with a lot of delicious twists and turns and new characters.”

“It’s very much going to be about Gotham at that street level, because he’s not flying around like Batman does,” she added. “We are all embracing that as a very specific experience for audiences to have.”

The Penguin will see Colin Farrell reprise his role from The Batman as Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot. Originally appearing as more of a mid-level mobster than a kingpin in his own right, The Penguin ran the Iceberg Lounge and hated his nickname.

The upcoming series will seemingly show his rise from Falcone henchman to a villain in his own right, to become the Penguin we know and love.

“Penguin will sit immediately after the end of The Batman and temporally before the events of the second movie,” said Aubrey. “The show will come out in between the two movies. Now beyond that, it’s fun for the audience to know that it will be a bridge between the two, but the actual release date, I’m not at liberty to say.”

IGN’s review of The Batman gave it 10/10 and said: “The Batman is a gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves. Robert Pattinson is great as a very broken Batman, but it’s Zoe Kravitz and Paul Dano who steal the show, with a movingly layered Selina Kyle/Catwoman and a terrifyingly unhinged Riddler. Writer/director Matt Reeves managed to make a Batman movie that’s entirely different from the others in the live-action canon, yet surprisingly loyal to Gotham lore as a whole. Ultimately, it’s one that thoroughly earns its place in this iconic character’s legacy.”

Want to read more about The Batman? Check out which other Batman villains could get their own spin-offs and find out what Colin Farrell has to say about The Penguin.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.