The Penguin
Series Details:
| Also known as | The Batman Penguin Spin Off |
| Based on | Penguin by Bill Finger & Bob Kane |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Season | 1 |
| Episodes | 8 |
| Release date | September 19, 2024 |
| Running time | 56–67 minutes |
| Age rating | TV-MA |
| Starring | Colin Farrell Cristin Milioti |
| Created by | Lauren LeFranc |
| Directed by | Craig Zobel |
| Written by | Lauren LeFranc |
| Executive producers | Matt Reeves Dylan Clark Colin Farrell Daniel Pipski Adam Kassan Lauren LeFranc Craig Zobel Bill Carraro |
| Cinematography by | Darran Tiernan |
| Edited by | Andy Keir |
| Casting By | Cindy Tolan |
| Production Design by | Kalina Ivanov |
| Production location | New York |
| Production Company | 6th & Idaho DC Studios Dylan Clark Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Distributor | HBO |
Cast & Character:
Main
- Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb / The Penguin
- Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone
- Rhenzy Feliz as Victor “Vic” Aguilar
- Deirdre O’Connell as Francis Cobb
- Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni
- Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo
- Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone
- Berto Colón as Castillo
- James Madio as Milos Grapa
- Joshua Bitton as Mikey Stone
- David H. Holmes as Nick Fuchs
- Daniel J. Watts as Bruno Tess
- Ben Cook as Calvin
- Jayme Lawson as Bella Reál
- Michael Kelly as Johnny Viti
- Mark Strong as Carmine Falcone
- Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni
- Theo Rossi as Julian Rush
- Aleksa Palladino as Carla Viti
- Craig Walker as Detective Marcus Wise
- Tess Soltau as Tina Falcone
- Marié Botha as Magpie
- Jared Abrahamson as Squid
- Nadine Malouf as Summer Gleason
Recurring
- Aria Shahghasemi as Taj Maroni
Guest
- François Chau as Feng Zhao
- Peter McDonald as William Kenzie in “Cent’Anni”
Storyline:
Taking place one week following the events of The Batman (2022), the series explores the rise to power of Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot / Penguin in Gotham City’s criminal underworld.
About The Penguin TV Series:
The Penguin is an American television limited series created by Lauren LeFranc for the streaming service Max. Based on the DC Comics character Penguin, it is a spin-off from the film The Batman (2022) that explores the Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. The series is produced by 6th & Idaho, DC Studios, and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with LeFranc serving as showrunner.
Colin Farrell stars as the Penguin, reprising his role from The Batman, alongside Cristin Milioti. Development was underway by September 2021, with LeFranc attached as writer and Farrell soon set to reprise his role. HBO Max ordered the series shortly after the film’s March 2022 release, and Craig Zobel joined to direct the first three episodes in October, with Helen Shaver also directing.
Principal photography began on March 1, 2023, in New York City, using the working title Boss, with Darran Tiernan serving as a cinematographer for the three episodes directed by Zobel. Soundstage work occurred at Silvercup Studios North in Queens.
Filming was set to take place in Westchester County, New York on May 16 when picketers participating in the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike caused production to shut down for the day. After further picketing the following day at the series’ sets at a church in Harlem, Manhattan, and at Silvercup North that once again shut down filming, production was paused through May 18. Filming of smaller scenes took place the day after in Brooklyn.
In June, production was suspended until after the strike concluded. Filming had been expected to occur over five or six months. Kelly had one day left of filming to complete before filming was shut down. When the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended on November 9, filming was set to resume at the end of the month and was considered to be a priority for Warner Bros.
Filming resumed on November 27, in the Bronx and at Whitestone, Queens the following day. Kelly had completed filming his scenes by January 2024. Filming wrapped on February 17, 2024.
The Penguin premiered in the United States on HBO on September 19, 2024, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, and will be re-aired multiple times through September 22. The subsequent seven episodes will then air every Sunday night at that time from September 29 until November 10, 2024. The series is also available for streaming on Max. It was initially planned for a mid-2024 premiere but was delayed due to the dual Hollywood strikes, and was ultimately moved to the September 2024 release date.
Episodes:
| Episode | Title | Release date | Plot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | After Hours | Thu, Sep 19, 2024 | After the death of Carmine Falcone, Oz Cobb steps up to fill the power vacuum in Gotham City’s criminal underworld, while the Falcone children struggle to maintain their family. |
| 2 | Inside Man | Sun, Sep 29, 2024 | Sofia works to solidify her family’s influence, while Oz tries to manipulate both the Falcone and Maroni crime families for his own gain. |
| 3 | Bliss | Sun, Oct 6, 2024 | Oz and Sofia confront their pasts as they fight for control of Gotham’s drug trade. Victor struggles to reconcile his new life with what’s left of his old one. |
| 4 | Cent’Anni | Sun, Oct 13, 2024 | Sofia faces the events that turned her into the Hangman and led to her survival in Arkham, while she begins to plan for a better future. |
| 5 | Homecoming | Sun, Oct 20, 2024 | With his nascent operation at stake, Oz makes a desperate move to turn the tables. Meanwhile, Sofia strives to build a new legacy for herself. |
| 6 | Gold Summit | Sun, Oct 27, 2024 | Despite his enemies’ attempts to smoke him out, Oz seeks to expand his reach in the city. Meanwhile, Victor crosses paths with a former adversary. |
| 7 | Top Hat | Sun, Nov 3, 2024 | Oz fights to preserve his family and his enterprise, while Sofia makes a shocking discovery. |
| 8 | Great or Little Thing | Sun, Nov 10, 2024 | Truths are laid bare as Oz Cobb nears the end of his journey and his power struggle with Sofia comes to a head. |