Colin Farrell to return as The Penguin in HBO Max spinoff series

Colin Farrell is returning to his role as The Penguin before his first appearance has even made it to theaters. The actor will return to the Batman villain for an HBO Max spinoff series of The Batman that Farrell will star in and executive produce, according to a report from Variety.

The series will reportedly explore the origins of The Penguin and how he came to rise through the ranks of Gotham City’s underworld to become one of its strangest and most feared criminals. Lauren LeFranc (Agents of SHIELD) will write for the series, while The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark will both serve as executive producers on the streaming project.

Before this spinoff arrives, fans of the caped crusader will be able to see Farrell as the iconic villain in The Batman when the movie comes out in theaters on March 4, 2022. Farrell stars alongside Robert Pattinson as Batman himself, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

This new Penguin series isn’t the only HBO Max spinoff of The Batman. HBO Max previously announced another spinoff series produced by Reeves that is centered on the Gotham City police department. That show is set to explore the corruption of Gotham’s police and city officials. Based on Reeves’ own descriptions of the show, which he says will focus on Batman’s “Year One” as he begins to disrupt Gotham’s underworld and police alike, will technically serve as a prequel to the movie — which Reeves has described as Batman “Year Two.”