HBO’s The Penguin Is Just the Beginning of The Batman Spinoffs

Matt Reeves‘ The Batman universe could have a glorious and bloody future on HBO, as the director wants to explore more key characters from the Batman mythos in their own series.The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell as the titular villain, dropped its first episode yesterday, boasting an impressive RT score of 91%. The new series was originally one of three spin-offs from Reeves’ The Batman (starring Robert Pattinson). However, the planned Arkham Asylum and GCPD (Gotham City Police Department) shows have both officially been scrapped by HBO. After the projects were shelved, fans thought The Penguin might be the only Batman-related show to branch off from Reeves’ movie, but the director is hoping for many more.

Speaking to Digital Spy, Matt Reeves outlined his new plans to spin off The Batman’s universe for TV. Batman doesn’t appear in The Penguin, as the series focuses solely on Oz Cobb’s perspective, while The Batman movies serve as the main gateway into Bruce Wayne’s story. Reeves wants to keep it that way, hoping that HBO will greenlight more shows centering on Batman’s iconic rogue’s gallery. The director explained:

“We are talking to HBO, in long-form, especially as the movies are so focused on being Batman’s point of view, to have the real estate to really look into who these rogue galleries characters are.”

As inspired by the comic Batman: Year One, Pattinson’s Batman is in his second year of crime fighting, and his rogues’ gallery is just starting to emerge. As more movies from The Batman are released, Reeves wants the Caped Crusader’s villains to get the spotlight in their own HBO shows. He continued:

“In the comics, the rogue’s gallery kinda makes themselves in response to this masked vigilante, so while it isn’t his origin tale [The Batman], it refers to his origin – it is their origin tale. You’re seeing Oz, who’s not yet the kingpin; you’re seeing Selina, who’s not yet Catwoman. You’re seeing all of these characters. So, the opportunity to look into how these characters come into being, and what that’s about psychologically, that, to me, is something that is super-exciting to be able to explore with HBO.”

Which Batman Villains Could Get Their Own Spin-Offs?

The obvious choice for a new HBO series would be the Joker (played by Barry Keoghan). However, part of the allure of the Joker is the mystery that surrounds the character, and there’s always the risk that an entire series focusing on the character could reveal too much. Matt Reeves also recently confirmed that his Batman universe will avoid the character’s more fantastical villains, meaning no Batman vs. Man-Bat showdown in the future.

Looking at Batman’s rogues gallery, dozens of characters deserve their own shows. Like the Penguin, there are the old favorites, including Scarecrow, Bane, Two-Face, and Deathstroke. However, the HBO platform would be an amazing way to make Batman’s more underrated, but still terrifying villains better known among mainstream audiences. Characters like Professor Pyg, Victor Zsasz, Hush, Black Mask, and even Red Hood, all have the potential to star in phenomenal HBO shows.

New episodes of
The Penguin
will be released weekly on HBO and Max.

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