What To Expect From The Penguin

Back in 2022, The Batman returned to the cultural conversation, with Robert Pattinson donning the famous cloak, mask and husky voice, as well as a whole lot of moody black eyeliner. Matt Reeves’ rendition of the timeless film unveiled a gritty Gotham City ruled by gangsters and plagued by crime and poverty, with orphaned Bruce Wayne embodying a detective figure as he dons his famed vigilante persona. With a sequel set for release in 2026, fans are desperate for more content – and DC has delivered. Written and executively produced by Lauren LeFranc (with plenty of input from Reeves, of course), here’s exactly what to expect from spin-off series The Penguin, plus when it will be on TV.

Colin Farrell as The Penguin in The Penguin. (© HBO)

What Is The Penguin About?

Set in the same universe as Matt Reeves’ 2022 The Batman, The Penguin is a crime drama delving into the underbelly of Gotham City. Set one week after the events of the film, we centre on Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin), the disfigured former chief lieutenant of the deceased crime boss Carmine Falcone and, across eight episodes, watch his rise to becoming a criminal kingpin in his own right.

Watch the trailer below.

The Penguin Cast

• Colin Farrell as Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb/The Penguin
• Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone/The Hangman
• 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
• James Madio as Milos Grapa
• Joshua Button
• David H Holmes
• Daniel J Watts
• Ben Cook
• Jayme Lawson as Bella Real
• Michael Kelly as Johnny Viti
• Mark Strong as Carmine Falcone
• Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni
• Scott Cohen as Luca Falcone
• Theo Rossi as Julian Rush

Two notably absent characters are, of course, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman and Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Why? ‘This story takes place over five or six weeks, so it seemed to make sense to the creatives, to Matt [Reeves] and to Lauren [LeFranc], that he didn’t need to appear in this,’ Farrell recently told IGN. ‘And it’s a very different side of Gotham, as well. Not that Batman doesn’t get his hands dirty in the shadows, of course, but it’s a very, very different part of Gotham that I’ve never seen before. It’s really the underbelly of the city and it’s down in the gutter.’

Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar. (© HBO)

Who Is Victor Aguilar?

Episode one of The Penguin introduces us to Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), a homeless teenager turned bandit, who is one of a bunch of teens caught by Oz trying to steal the rims off his car. Moments before, Oz impulsively killed Alberto Falcone, son of crime boss Carmine Falcone – who was also Oz’s boss and was assassinated one week before in The Batman. With Alberto the deceased Carmine’s heir apparent, Oz is in a bit of a sticky situation, and he enlists Victor to help him to dispose of the body. Vic subsequently becomes Oz’s driver and right hand man, with the duo plotting together to take control of the Falcone crime family.

If you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of Vic before, that’s because he is an original character created for The Penguin. However, he does bear an Easter egg resemblance to the second Robin, Jason Todd, who first appeared in the Batman comic books in 1983. In issue 357, Todd attempts to steal the Batmobile’s tires in an alley, just as Victor attempts to steal the rims off Oz’s car in The Penguin. And in both, the thief is recruited as a sidekick – though Batman naturally taught Todd to be a crime-fighting vigilante, while Oz pulls Victor over to the dark side.

Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. (© HBO)

Where Was It Filmed?

While The Batman was mainly filmed in the UK (including Liverpool, Glasgow and London), the same is not true for The Penguin, despite both being set in Gotham City. The Penguin was instead filmed in New York City, both on location – including in Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx – and on a soundstage at Silvercup Studios North in Queens.

Will There Be The Penguin Season 2?

No news just yet on whether there will be a second season of The Penguin. If there is, it won’t be for a while. According to director Reeves, The Penguin functions as a bridge between 2022’s The Batman and The Batman 2, which is slated to be released on 2 October 2026. ‘Colin [Farrell] will be part of the movie [The Batman 2],’ Reeves told Variety. ‘We’ve shared [the script] as we’ve been going along with DC and the studio and they’re super excited. There are details that actually connect right into the way the next movie begins, and the way that Oz enters that world as we hand the baton back to Batman, and Batman is on another case.’

If The Penguin season 2 does happen, then, we expect it to be a sequel to The Batman 2, just like season 1 is a sequel to The Batman.

Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone & Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobb / The Penguin. (© HBO)

How To Watch The Penguin In The UK

The Penguin is airing exclusively on Sky Atlantic on Monday evenings in the UK, though episode one launched on Friday 20 September. As always, the episode will air in the UK after it has aired in the US, with Sky Atlantic airing episodes twice: at 2am and at 9pm on the same day.

The release schedule is as follows:

1. Friday 20 September at 2am and 9pm
2. Monday 30 September at 2am and 9pm
3. Monday 7 October at 2am and 9pm
4. Monday 14 October at 2am and 9pm
5. Monday 21 October at 2am and 9pm
6. Monday 28 October at 2am and 9pm
7. Monday 4 November at 2am and 9pm
8. Monday 11 November at 2am and 9pm

Where To Stream The Penguin In The UK

Once episodes have aired on Sky Atlantic, The Penguin will be available to stream exclusively on NOW.

Where To Stream The Batman In The UK

The Batman (2022) is available to stream with a Prime Video membership. amazon.co.uk