How does The Batman set-up HBO Max’s Penguin spin-off series?

The Batman, Matt Reeves’ addition to the long line of live-action adaptations of Bruce Wayne’s story, premiered on Friday, March 4. The film takes nearly three hours to complete The Riddler’s cat-and-mouse game, and it doesn’t waste a single minute of its runtime. The attention to story is what has fans of the movie excited for HBO Max’s Penguin spin-off series.

The show was greenlit ahead of The Batman‘s theatrical release and, until promo went into full swing for the film, not much was known about the direction the series would take. We knew Colin Farrell would reprise his role as the mobster-like Batman villain and that we’d be taken on a ride into the underbelly of Gotham as told from a criminal’s perspective.

Now that the movie is in theaters, we have a better idea of what to expect from the HBO Max series. The film sets up the show and Farrell’s comments during promo have added more details.

Here’s what we know!

How The Batman sets up HBO Max’s Penguin spin-off series

Major spoilers ahead of The Batman

Penguin played a minor role in the movie compared to Paul Dano’s Riddler. However, what we got of his character stood out. It was clear that in year two of Bruce’s vigilante origin story, Penguin had yet to become a kingpin.

Despite running the Iceberg Lounge, its underground club 44 Below, the Drops drug business, and being the personal procurer for Gotham PD and the political elite, he still answered to Carmine Falcone. When the proclaimed King of Gotham was arrested and then killed, Penguin saw an opportunity to grab power.

In fact, his last scene in The Batman is of him overlooking the city as it reels from the Riddler’s game. While Batman, in a sense, was able to save the day in the end, parts of Gotham are going to be left out of the recovery effort. Inevitably, that means there will be areas in the city that’ll have to fend for themselves and it’s in those parts of Gotham that crime will fester.

HBO Max’s Penguin spin-off series plot details

The Penguin spin-off series will take place directly after the events of The Batman. When speaking to Comicbook.com, Farrell disclosed the following about the show:

"So far, the experience of maybe bringing Os into a six or eight hour journey is the same, it’s really collaborative. The writer, Lauren LeFranc has some extraordinary ideas. And it’s just that it’s kind of an amazing character to explore, his kind of awkwardness, and his strength, and his villainy, yes, his propensity for violence. But there’s also a heartbroken man inside there you know, which just makes it really tasty."

As the above quote shows, plot details on the show are sparse, however, we’re definitely going to be treated to a gangster story a la Scarface. Given Penguin’s line of work, it’s likely the HBO Max series will get an R rating so that the genre’s typical elements of violence, blood, and gore can be fully depicted.

We’ll keep you posted on news concerning the Penguin spin-off series. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow for more The Batman coverage!