Colin Farrell dons the prosthetics again to tell the story of the rise of Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin. 

While director Matt Reeves’ follow up to The Batman is eyeing a 2026 release, the spin-off television series The Penguin is due much sooner.

Airing on HBO, and Sky Atlantic in the UK, this September, the show follows Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot in the wake of the events of the first movie.

Now, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Lauren LeFranc has indicated the show’s importance as the connective tissue between the two movies:

“We are the bridge between the two films. We’re going almost directly into the second film Matt has planned.”

She also expands on the show’s premise:

“It’s a Scarface story. It’s a rise-to-power story of Oz before he really makes it to the top.”

Farrell is joined by Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine, and the mob boss Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown).

Another spin-off from The Batman?

There’s also talk of another series taking place in this world. Not the Gotham City Police Department show, nor the Arkham Asylum series, both of which have faltered before leaving the launch pad, but something else.

Executive Producer Dylan Clark lays some hints:

“There’s another television exploration we’re going to do. We’re looking at this entire world as it relates to who Batman is – the antagonists around them, all the crime that has to be navigated in the city – and trying to figure out where are the areas that are best to explore.”

The Entertainment Weekly piece suggests that Reeves and Clark have dubbed this project the ‘Batman Epic Crime Saga’. Sounds like fun!

We’ll keep you posted on the developing universe of The Batman.