The showrunner of “The Penguin” wants to further develop the crime genre with complex female characters

The Batman Spinoff series The Penguin is arguably one of the most highly anticipated projects of 2024. However, showrunner Lauren LeFranc says the series will be more than just a continuation of Matt Reeves' story.

Speaking to Total Film, LeFranc explained that the show gave her the opportunity to incorporate more complex female characters into the crime genre.Very few women were able to write such films or television series.” said the showrunner. “I think my view of Oz and masculinity in general is different. And that led me to wanting to surround him with really interesting, complicated women tooIn traditional crime dramas, the women are rarely as interesting as the men. I used this as an opportunity to see what had been done before me, to respect and honor the genre, and then also evolve it..”

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HBO's Penguin series subtly adapts one of the best Batman stories

The upcoming HBO series “The Penguin” continues the story of 2022’s “The Batman,” using elements of an acclaimed Batman story from the comics.

The Penguin Colin Farrell looks back in the role of the titular villain The Batman. The story takes place a week after the events of the film and follows Oswald Cobblepot as he attempts to take control of Gotham's criminal underworld.With Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) killed by the Riddler, Oz must face his adult children Sofia (Cristin Milioti) and Albert (Michael Zegen) as well as rival mafia boss Salvator Maroni (Clancy Brown).

The Penguin is touted as a crime drama

LeFranc has already hinted at what viewers can expect from the series, describing it as Scarface Story. “It is the story of Oz's rise to power before he really makes it to the topsaid the showrunner. “We are in Oz's world. We live in the underworld of the city.” Oz is a doer and a driver. You can't always trust him. He is very smart and very methodical, but he is also extremely impulsive. You can't predict what he will do.”

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Penguin creator describes how Colin Farrell's title villain differs from the comic

Penguin creator Lauren LeFranc draws parallels to Scarface when describing the story of the eponymous character in the upcoming series.

The Batman Director, who serves as executive producer of the upcoming series, recently gave some insights into The Penguin Oswald Cobblepotwhile explaining why other spinoffs were discarded. “It is interesting that in [The Batman]”The big red herring of the story is that it looks like the person the Riddler is pointing at must be the Penguin, some kind of informant,” Reeves explained.

“This film creates a power vacuum and because Penguin is so underrated, people don't really see who he is. We wanted it to be not in a grandiose way, but in a mythical Shakespearean way, this kind of grand story” Reeves continued. While it is still unclear if Robert Pattinson will appear in the series as his version of Batman, rumors suggest he will make an appearance.

The Penguin Premieres on HBO on September 19th.

Source: Total Film

The Penguin

It follows the transformation of Oswald Cobblepot from a disfigured nobody to a well-known Gotham gangster.

Release date

2024-00-00

Pour

Colin Farrell, Clancy Brown, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Cristin Milioti

Main genre

crime

Seasons

1

Creator

Lauren LeFranc