Batman spinoff The Penguin halts production amid writers' strike

The Penguin
(Image credit: HBO)

The Penguin has temporary halted production amid the WGA writers' strike.

Per Deadline, The Batman spinoff series was set to film Tuesday in Westchester, NY, but WGA East picketers, Teamsters, and local guilds refused to cross the picket line.

The show is said to explore Penguin's journey to holding power in Gotham's underworld. Colin Farrell reprises his role from the Matt Reeves film, with Cristin Milioti is set to play Sofia Falcone, daughter of crime boss Carmine Falcone (played by John Turturro in the film).

"It starts a week after The Batman ends, so Gotham is still somewhat underwater," Farrell previously told Extra, referring to The Batman’s third act that saw Paul Dano’s Riddler instigate a plan to flood Gotham.

Craig Zobel, who directed the limited series The Mare of Easttown, is set to helm the eight-episode series. Lauren LeFranc (Impulse, Agents of SHIELD) is set to pen the script. Farrell will also executive-produce along with director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark.

The Penguin joins Daredevil: Born Again, Billions, P-Valley, and Pretty Little Liars: Summer School on the list of shows that have temporarily shuttered production because of the strike. The writing work has also ceased on Stranger Things, Cobra Kai season 6, Abbott Elementary, Severance, Good Trouble, and Yellowjackets (H/T Deadline).

The Penguin does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our round-up of the most exciting upcoming films, or, our list of movie release dates. For more superheroes, check out our complete guide to watching DC movies in order to get up to date on the DCEU.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.