Colin Farrell to star as The Penguin in a new series from HBO Max

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The actor will reprise his role from The Batman

Colin Farrell as The Penguin in The Batman
(Image credit: Warner Bros./DC)

HBO Max has ordered a new limited drama series that expands The Batman universe and centers on Colin Farrell's Penguin.

The series is executive produced by Farrell, The Batman director Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, and Lauren LeFranc. LeFranc, who was previously the showrunner for YouTube Premium original Impulse and a writer on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, is set to write and serve as showrunner.

Farrell's appearance in The Batman was met well-received by critics, many of whom praised his strong performance as the creepy, scar-faced supervillain.

"Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in 'The Batman,' and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill," Reeves said. "Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”

The Penguin was first played by Danny Devito in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, which featured the actor donning an eyebrow-less face with sharp teeth and an oversized nose. While Farrell's Penguin airs on the more realistic side, he told Total Film that the makeup process still took hours to complete, referring to the overall look as "dressing up on steroids."

Farrell is excited to reprise the role, stating that The Batman's world is one that "warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot" and that it'll be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham "for a little madness and a little mayhem.”

Want more on The Batman? Then check out our guides on the movie's biggest talking points.

Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. 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.