The Penguin season 1 release date, cast, storyline, trailer release, and everything you need to know
Gotham City’s criminal underworld is about to get a new king. Warner Bros. and DC Studios are doubling down on the success of The Batman with a spin-off limited series focused on one of the film’s standout characters – Oswald Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin. Played by Colin Farrell in a transformative performance, this gritty crime boss quickly became a fan favorite. Max’s upcoming series The Penguin will delve deeper into Cobblepot’s violent rise to power in the wake of Carmine Falcone’s downfall.
The monstrous yet strangely sympathetic crime lord exuded charisma and cunning in The Batman. The new series promises to be an enthralling exploration of power, ambition, and the dark heart of Gotham. With an impressive cast and creative team, The Penguin is shaping to be one of 2024’s must-see crime dramas.
The Penguin Season 1 Release Date:
Though an exact release date has not been set, The Penguin is expected to premiere on Max in late 2024. Filming began in early 2023 in New York City before being halted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Production resumed in late 2023 and wrapped in February 2024, setting the stage for a fall release as the show enters post-production.
Warner Bros. Discovery is high on the series’ potential, giving it a prime release window to capture maximum viewership. With The Batman grossing over $770 million globally, interest in this DC crime saga remains high. An intriguing teaser trailer dropped in March 2024, whetting fans’ appetites for Cobblepot’s ruthless power grab.
The Penguin Series Storyline Overview:
The Penguin picks up one week after the events of The Batman, in Gotham City, still reeling from the Riddler’s attack that flooded the metropolis. In the power vacuum left by Carmine Falcone’s death, Penguin sees an opportunity to rise from mob lieutenant to crime boss of the entire city.
However, he’ll face opposition from Falcone’s daughter Sofia, who is determined to take control of her family’s criminal empire herself. This will set up an epic conflict between Penguin and Sofia as they vie for dominance in Gotham’s underworld through violence, deception, and sheer force of will.
Beyond this central clash, the series will explore Penguin’s unique persona – an awkward, insecure man who uses a scary persona and vicious brutality to mask his weaknesses. We’ll delve into his backstory, his intricate relationship with his infamous penguin ensemble, and his darkly pragmatic worldview that rejects Falcone’s “old ways.”
The Penguin Season 1 Expected Storyline:
Based on comments from the creative team, season 1 of The Penguin seems poised to dramatize Cobblepot’s violent ascent from a disfigured lieutenant to the preeminent crime lord of Gotham’s streets and alleyways.
The first season will likely track his initial moves against the Falcone family following Carmine’s murder. Scenes of tense confrontations, daring power plays, and inevitable casualties will underscore how vicious this “war of the Falcons” promises to be.
We’ll also meet dangerous new figures like rival mobsters Salvatore Maroni and Johnny Vitti, who may either ally with Penguin and Sofia or emerge as wild card threats to be neutralized. Action and crime sequences will alternate with quieter character moments that peel back the layers of this complex antihero.
By season’s end, it seems a new hierarchy will have taken shape in the Gotham underworld, with Penguin either firmly in charge or facing surprising new adversaries to overcome in potential future seasons. Teases of this shifting criminal landscape and personal stakes for Cobblepot will lay the groundwork for more storytelling.
The Penguin Series list of Cast Members
- Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot / Penguin
- Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone
- Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni
- Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone
- Michael Kelly as Johnny Vitti
- Rhenzy Feliz
- Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Deirdre O’Connell
- James Madio
- Scott Cohen
- Theo Rossi
- Carmen Ejogo
- François Chau
- David H. Holmes
- Craig Walker
- Jared Abrahamson
- Mark Strong
The Penguin Season 1 List of Episodes
The episode titles and plot details for The Penguin season 1 have not yet been officially released. However, we know the first season will have eight episodes totaling approximately 6-8 hours. Craig Zobel will direct the first three episodes, and additional directors like Helen Shaver will also be involved.
The Penguin Series Creators Team
The Penguin has an impressive roster of creative talent behind the scenes. The series was developed by writer Lauren LeFranc, who will serve as showrunner. LeFranc is writing all eight episodes of the first season.
Executive producers include The Batman writer/director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark through their production companies 6th & Idaho and Dylan Clark Productions. They will oversee the show’s creative vision and relationship to Reeves’ Bat-universe projects.
Other executive producers are 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski and Adam Kassan, Bill Carraro, director Craig Zobel, and star Colin Farrell. Rafi Crohn is a co-executive producer.
Behind the camera, directors include Craig Zobel (Mare of Easttown), who helmed the first three episodes, and Helen Shaver (Station Eleven), who also directed episodes. The show’s cinematographer is Darran Tiernan.
Where to Watch The Penguin Season 1?
The Penguin season 1 will stream exclusively on Max, the rebranded streaming service previously known as HBO Max. It was developed and commissioned as a Max Original series.
To watch The Penguin, viewers must subscribe to the Max streaming service. Pricing starts at $9.99/month for the ad-supported plan or $15.99/month for the ad-free plan. There is also an annual pricing option available.
Max will be the only place to stream the crime series, so a subscription will be required to view it. The series will not air on any linear cable or broadcast channels.
The Penguin Season 1 Trailer Release Date:
An official trailer for The Penguin season 1 has not been released yet, but we have gotten some brief teasers.
In April 2023, Max shared some very early in-production footage of Colin Farrell in costume to generate excitement. This was followed by a more extended teaser trailer on March 22, 2024, that gave a more extensive first look at the series’ tone and Penguin rising to power.
With the show targeting a late 2024 release, we can likely expect a full official trailer sometime in the late summer or early fall of 2024 to kick the marketing campaign into high gear.
The Penguin Season 1 Final Word:
Based on the incredible acclaim for Colin Farrell’s performance in The Batman and the creative talent assembled, The Penguin has a chance to be extraordinary. A gritty, R-rated crime saga exploring an iconic Batman villain’s complicated persona and motivations is an enticing premise.
If the writing, directing, and performances can capture the moral ambiguity and vicious struggle for power promised, this could be a definitive take on Penguin’s origins. Of course, it will have massive shoes to fill after Batman’s incredible success.
Maintaining quality and delivering a series worthy of its big-screen predecessor will be crucial. But the pieces seem to be in place for The Penguin to be a fascinating, action-packed exploration of power, morality, and what it takes to survive in Gotham City’s criminal depths. DC fans have plenty of reason to be excited as this murderous new era begins in late 2024.
