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In the fallout of Batman’s war with the Riddler, two-bit gangster Oswald Cobblepot spots the opportunity to take over the streets of Gotham City. This is the 1st trailer for HBO’s limited series The Penguin.
Following the events of The Batman, Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) is a gangster aiming to rise to the top of the criminal underworld. As Gotham City reels from the Riddler’s assault on the city, Oz finds a power vacuum following the death of rival mobster Carmine Falcone.
Dubbed “The Penguin” by Gotham’s streets, Oz’s ruthlessness finds him an uneasy alliance with Carmine’s surviving daughter Sofia (Cristin Miloti), recently released from Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Alongside Sofia and street-smart protégé Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), Oz will stop at nothing until all of Gotham City is in his grasp.
source: HBO
Oswald Cobblepot’s inclusion in The Batman was clearly sowing the seeds for a future appearance. More than a cameo, Cobblepot was the focus of a lengthy interlude in which Batman explored Gotham’s grimy underworld. In a way, the 2022 film almost felt like a backdoor pilot to this show, heightening fan expectations to insane levels.
Many comic book shows have played with genre before, but this feels like the first to truly craft a mob drama in the world of a comic book. Allusions to Batman lore abound, but director Lauren LeFranc has successfully melded outlandish comic sensibilities with the pulse-pounding intensity of a Sidney Lumet mob flick.
Star Colin Farrell remains effervescent, and despite the novelty of his amazing prosthetic work having worn off, his performance shines even brighter. Alongside a who’s who of gravelly-voiced character actors, The Penguin has quietly assembled a cast worthy of HBO.
If the show lives up to this first peek, creator Matt Reeves may have actually built his own mini-cinematic universe while the rest of DC reboots under James Gunn. A limited series so good with the superpower to defeat corporate synergy. Imagine that.
The Penguin will release on HBO in the US on September 19, 2024.
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