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The Fithian Group, launched last fall by longtime NATO chief John Fithian, has developed a data-driven, digital theatrical distribution marketplace it hopes will revolutionize how independent filmmakers and rights-holders book and release movies in theaters.

An early version of the platform, called Attend, rolls out Stateside in the first quarter of 2025. The U.S. and Australia will be initial markets.

Dozens of filmmakers and producers from Sean Baker to Steven Soderbergh Patty Jenkins and Ted Hope are supporting the concept, signing on to an Attend statement “that modern, democratic, data-driven marketplace providing an efficient and effective way to distribute all genres of film directly to theatres and audiences is a vital need for our industry and art form.”

Powered by entertainment tech firm Vista Group, the marketplace allows filmmakers to upload details and materials for their films directly onto the platform. Exhibitors can search the database, and Attend recommends movies.

The former leader of theater-owner’s group NATO has a new way to get your independent film into movie theaters — one intended to cut out the middleman.

John Fithian is launching an online marketplace to connect filmmakers directly with exhibitors. The platform is called “Attend,” and it puts the “intelligence” into its artificial intelligence. Attend’s tech, powered by the Vista Group, pairs filmmakers with the specific theaters best suited to their movie. For exhibitors, Attend is a portal to a broader range of content. This way, filmmakers retain the rights to their movie, and exhibitors keep control over their screens.

Sorry about all of that, distributors.

A filmmaker uploads details about (and assets from) their films directly into Attend, including metadata and other specifics. The platform’s AI will match the movie with theaters based on their customer data, local demographics, and affinity groups.

Attend will launch an alpha phase in the U.

This week's episode of The Penguin ended on a huge cliffhanger when Sofia Falcone tracked down Oz Cobb's beloved mother. You can read our full recap of "Gold Summit" here, but in this promo for next Sunday's "Top Hat," things look bleak for the gangster.

While Sofia Falcone plots with Dr. Julian Rush, Sal Maroni finally gets his hands on Oz and that surely won't end well for the villain.

A featurette has also been released which takes a deep dive into the sixth instalment, while a new poster focuses on The Penguin's leads, Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti, as the warring Oz and Sofia.

Why isn't Batman doing something about Bliss hitting the streets of Gotham City? That's a question we really hope The Batman Part II is going to address a couple of years from now.

Recently, The Direct caught up with The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc and...

This week's episode of The Penguin ended on a huge cliffhanger when Sofia Falcone tracked down Oz Cobb's beloved mother. You can read our full recap of "Gold Summit" here, but in this promo for next Sunday's "Top Hat," things look bleak for the gangster.

While Sofia Falcone plots with Dr. Julian Rush, Sal Maroni finally gets his hands on Oz and that surely won't end well for the villain.

A featurette has also been released which takes a deep dive into the sixth instalment, while a new poster focuses on The Penguin's leads, Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti, as the warring Oz and Sofia.

Why isn't Batman doing something about Bliss hitting the streets of Gotham City? That's a question we really hope The Batman Part II is going to address a couple of years from now.

Recently, The Direct caught up with The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc and...

Yesterday, The Batman star John Turturro revealed that he'd declined to reprise his role as Carmine Falcone in the HBO series because it features "a lot of violence towards women, and that's not my thing."

He'd add that it "happens off-screen [in The Batman]," though it took little time for DC fans to point out his apparent hypocrisy. Not only is The Penguin's Carmine far less violent than the one seen in The Batman, but Turturro's version violently attacked and choked Selina Kyle during the movie's final act.

Now, The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc has responded to Turturro's comments - as diplomatically as possible - in an interview with The Wrap.

"I completely respect an actor who doesn’t want to take on a role for whatever their personal reasons," LeFranc started. "I only want people to join our show who are excited and want to further the story we’re trying to tell.

John Turturro played ruthless Gotham City mob boss Carmine Falcone in The Batman, but he didn't reprise the role for HBO's The Penguin spin-off series, with Mark Strong taking over as a younger version of the character.

During a recent interview, showrunner Lauren LeFranc said that the decision to recast the role simply came down to a scheduling conflict.

"Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn't make it work, but honestly, I'm so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on. I think he's really good. Even though, maybe in the beginning when you first meet him, you might think, 'Oh. Well, for fans of The Batman, I'm so used to John Turturro,' and obviously John's a great actor, but I feel like the gravitas that Mark brings, it's different," she added. "It's very specific, and I hope, by the end of that episode,...

Viewers don’t seem to mind the lack of true heroes on The Penguin: the dark and violent drama from HBO Original continues to grow each week and, in fact, hit another series high on Sunday.

The Colin Farrell starrer averaged 1.8 million U.S. cross-platform viewers, the drama’s strongest single-day performance for the overall series in the states.

That’s up from previous week’s episode, which drew 1.7M viewers cross-platform, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

In the meantime, the first episode has now tallied more than 14M viewers.

The Penguin, which hails from DC Studios, is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, and Lauren LeFranc, who serves as writer and showrunner. Craig Zobel directed the first three episodes in addition to executive producing. Bill Carraro also executive produces.

Besides Farrell, the series stars Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Theo Rossi, Michael Kelly, Clancy Brown and Shohreh Aghdashloo.

The fifth episode of “The Penguin” achieved the series’ highest viewership yet on Sunday, reaching 1.8 million viewers across HBO and Max.

The Colin Farrell-led DC show has seen a few incremental ratings increases since its Sept. 19 debut. Warner Bros. Discovery initially reported that Episode 1 hit 5.3 million viewers, but that total accounted for four days of viewing across platforms, as the series began streaming on Max on a Friday before airing in its traditional Sunday timeslot on HBO’s linear channel. When Episode 2 debuted with 1.6 million viewers in one night the following week, Wbd noted a 17% increase in single-day viewership, indicating that the premiere episode hit approximately 1.3 million viewers in its first night on Max.

Wbd did not report a viewership total for Episode 3 of “The Penguin,” which aired on Oct. 6. But on Oct. 13, the fourth episode reached 1.7 million viewers — a roughly 6% increase — before Episode 5 jumped by another 6% to 1.8 million viewers.

We're four episodes into The Penguin on HBO (you can read our recap of the latest instalment here) and the cable network has just released an action-packed new midseason trailer for The Batman spin-off at New York Comic Con.

With Oz Cobb's betrayal at the forefront of Sofia Falcone's mind, she's making a bid for Gotham City's underworld...and wants The Penguin dead! Oz, meanwhile, is looking to pick up the scraps and rallies his followers to take their city back from the Falcones and Maronis of the world.

All signs point to Gotham being plunged into chaos in the remaining episodes...which once again begs the question: where is Batman?

It's already been confirmed that the Dark Knight won't appear in The Penguin, but it's hard to shake the feeling his absence won't become a distraction as we get into the second half of the season.

"He's more of a specter in the city,...

We're four episodes into The Penguin on HBO (you can read our recap of the latest instalment here) and the cable network has just released an action-packed new midseason trailer for The Batman spin-off at New York Comic Con.

With Oz Cobb's betrayal at the forefront of Sofia Falcone's mind, she's making a bid for Gotham City's underworld...and wants The Penguin dead! Oz, meanwhile, is looking to pick up the scraps and rallies his followers to take their city back from the Falcones and Maronis of the world.

All signs point to Gotham being plunged into chaos in the remaining episodes...which once again begs the question: where is Batman?

It's already been confirmed that the Dark Knight won't appear in The Penguin, but it's hard to shake the feeling his absence won't become a distraction as we get into the second half of the season.

"He's more of a specter in the city,...

HBO unveiled a new midseason trailer and art for The Penguin, from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, today at New York Comic Con. New episodes debut Sundays on HBO and are available to stream on Max.

Starring Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb (aka “The Penguin”), the DC Studios series continues filmmaker Matt Reeves’ The Batman epic crime saga that began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman. Developed by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, the series centers on the character played by Farrell in the film.

The cast also includes Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), and Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni).

James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush) round out the cast.

The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark,...

Jason Bateman has gone real no-more-Mr. Nice Guy on us.

The “Ozark,” “Horrible Bosses,” and “Game Night” star puts on a domestic-terrorist face (and hat) in the teaser for Netflix Christmas movie “Carry-On.” It’s, ah, not exactly “Elf.”

In “Carry-On,” before Bateman can terrorize a Christmas Eve flight, he first must make Taron Egerton’s job a living hell. Oh, and he might just kill the young Tsa agent’s significant other, played by Sofia Carson, as well.

“One bag for one life,” is Bateman’s blackmail offer.

We’re guessing he doesn’t have Clear.

Basically, Bateman targets Egerton to let his mysterious suitcase through the security scanners and onto the airplane. We don’t quite know (yet) what is in the package, but considering the gunfire and Tom Cruise-esque sprinting through the airport, Bateman’s cargo is probably a bit worse than nail clippers.

“There’s...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Except for one particular Tsa agent. Netflix has just released the trailer for Carry On. Carry On is an upcoming feature film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise, Black Adam) and starring Taron Egerton (Rocketman, Kingsman: The Golden Circle). Tj Fixman wrote the script’s first draft, with Michael Green responsible for the most recent polish. Dylan Clark (The Batman) is producing. Carry On is the first production of the overall deal between Netflix and Amblin.

The film also stars Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Logan Marshall-Green, Dean Norris, Sinqua Walls and Jason Bateman. The cast will also include Gil Perez- Abraham, Tonatiuh, Curtiss Cook, Joe Williamson and Josh Brener. The plot logline reads, “A young Tsa agent fights to outsmart a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.” Collet-Serra is no stranger...

Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman find a way to make holiday travel even more challenging than usual in the trailer for the Netflix thriller Carry-On.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra’s airport-focused action film hits the streaming service Dec. 13. Rounding out the cast are Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Sinqua Walls, Logan Marshall-Green, Theo Rossi, Josh Brener and Dean Norris.

Carry-On centers on an inexperienced Tsa agent (Egerton) who ends up in a battle of wits with a mysterious traveler (Bateman) after the stranger blackmails him into allowing a dangerous package onto a flight on Christmas Eve.

“You have 10 minutes before everybody in this airport dies,” Bateman says in voiceover in the trailer. “All you have to do is nothing.”

Collet-Serra (Black Adam, Jungle Cruise) helmed the movie from a script by T.J. Fixman. Dylan Clark produces the film, while executive producers on the project include Collet-Serra, Holly Bario, Brian Williams, Seth William Meier and Scott Greenberg.

The Penguin is halfway over, and audience interest is still growing.

The fourth episode drew 1.7M viewers cross-platform viewers in the U.S., which is a season high premiere night audience, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

It’s a small lift from the second episode, when 1.6M tuned in, which already marked a 17% increase over the series premiere. The company that first episode has now tallied more than 13M viewers.

When The Penguin debuted last month, it also had Max’s biggest 4-day audience for a new series in every region globally, since The Last of Us in Jan 2023, according to Wbd.

In the U.S., the series debut of the HBO Original averaged 5.3 million cross platform U.S. viewers over its weekend debut.

The Penguin, which hails from DC Studios, is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, and Lauren LeFranc, who serves as writer and showrunner.

Following last night's somewhat harrowing hour of television, HBO has released a teaser promo for next week's episode of The Penguin, as Oz and Sofia both prepare to go to war.

The gripping "Cent’anni" revealed how Sofia wound up locked away in Arkham for so many years, with Oz betraying her trust by telling her father, Carmine, about her meeting with the reporter investigating the Hangman murders.

The ruthless mob boss decides to frame his own daughter for his crimes, and we witness Sofia slowly begin to unravel after enduring horrific abuse at the hands of Arkham's doctors.

This marks a major change to the comic book version of the character, as Sofia is every bit the psychotic killer her reputation suggests on the page.

The revelation that Oz was the one who killed her brother pushes Sofia over the edge, and she wipes out almost everyone in the...

HBO has released some promo stills for next week's fourth episode of The Penguin, "Cent'anni" - an Italian toast meaning "may you live 100 years" - which is being hailed as a major high-point of the show by those who have had a chance to check out screeners for the entire season.

After narrowly escaping with their lives in "Bliss," Oz (Colin Farrell) and Vic (Rhenzy Feliz) plan their next move. Sofia's (Cristin Milioti) fate is unknown after Oz decided to leave her behind at the end of the last episode (something tells us she won't be best pleased), but there's a good chance she's been taken hostage by the Maroni family.

We do know that the episode will focus on what really went on with Sofia prior to her stint in Arkham, and what earned her the "Hangman" monicker. Oz indicated that there might be more to her murderous past than people realize,...

Following last night's new episode of The Penguin, HBO has released a teaser promo for next week's fourth instalment, "Cent'anni," which promises to reveal "the real story behind The Hangman."

After narrowly escaping with their lives in "Bliss," Oz (Colin Farrell) and Vic (Rhenzy Feliz) plan their next move. Sofia's (Cristin Milioti) fate is unknown after Oz decided to leave her behind at the end of the last episode, but there's a good chance she's been taken hostage by the Maroni family.

It looks like we're also going to find out what really went on with Sofia prior to her stint in Arkham, and what earned her the "Hangman" monicker. Oz indicated that there might be more to her murderous past than people realize, so perhaps we'll learn that Sofia is not the deranged serial killer she's been made out to be?

The episode will also feature the return of...

In The Penguin's third episode, we were introduced to the drug Sofia Falcone and her late brother Alberto were planning to flood Gotham City with.

Called "Bliss," it's an alternative to "Drops" and hails from Arkham State Hospital. While confined there, "The Hangman" figured out that the drug - made from a rare mushroom - provides a euphoric effect for the user.

Add the idea of psychoactive compound to Arkham and chances are you think of Dr. Jonathan Crane. Better known to comic book fans as the Scarecrow, he's known for creating a Fear Toxin which leaves exposed to it in a state of absolute terror. It stands to reason then that he could also create a drug capable of calming Arkham's inmates.

However, we believe someone else might have been behind the creation of the "Bleeding Tooth Fungus."

Poison Ivy is a very real possibility and botanist Pamela...

Episode 3 of The Penguin premieres later tonight, and HBO has now released some new promo stills spotlighting Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) as they lay their plans to establish themselves as Gotham's new crime bosses.

Last week's episode, "Inside Man," saw Oz and Sofia partner up, as "The Hangman" came to realize that she will never be taken seriously by the men who currently call the shots in her late father's organization.

Of course, Oz is also playing his new ally - and we're pretty sure she knows it - so it'll be interesting to see how long they'll be able to co-exist for without turning on each other.

The Penguin has been a big hit with fans, with the series premiere reaching 10.4 million viewers after 11 days, taking The Batman spin-off above all current HBO series except for House of the Dragon and The Last of Us.

Joker: Folie à Deux is out now in theaters, and the consensus online is that it's awful. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 34% rotten rating among critics and 39% among audiences. Preview screenings took in about half the money the original Joker movie made in 2019. That's quite a fall from the first film, which was liked by critics, loved by audiences, and made over a billion dollars at the box office.

What happened? Simply put, the new movie isn't as good as the old. It doesn't have as much focus. There's a love story featuring Lady Gaga as a hastily sketched Harley Quinn, a slice-of-life prison drama, a courtroom drama, and — at the 11th hour — an action movie, although the action seems to come out of nowhere. Also, the movie is a musical and a lot of people don't seem to like that on principle. As a one-star Rotten Tomatoes review puts it,...

The Penguin appears to be a big hit with fans, as viewers tune in to find out how "Oz Cobb" (Colin Farrell) will dig himself out of a number of potentially lethal situations and establish himself as Gotham's new crime boss.

According to Wbd, the series premiere has reached 10.4 million viewers after 11 days, taking The Batman spin-off above all current HBO series except for House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. The second episode hit the Max streaming service on Sunday, attracting 1.6 million viewers - a 17% increase from the premiere.

"Inside Man" saw Oz and Sofia Falcone form a tenuous alliance, as "The Hangman" comes to realize that she will never be taken seriously by the men who currently call the shots.

Actress Cristin Milioti relished the opportunity to play Sofia, especially after missing out on a number of superhero roles in the past.

"There were a couple of them,...

It was a successful Sunday night on HBO, as both The Penguin and Industry brought in solid audiences.

The second episode of The Penguin, which hails from DC Studios, drew 1.6M cross-platform viewers in the U.S., outperforming Episode 1 by 17%, Warner Bros. Discovery said Monday.

According to the company, the Batman spinoff is outpacing all other HBO series other than House of the Dragon and The Last Of Us, as the premiere episode has already exceeded 10.4M U.S. cross-platform viewers in its first 11 days of availability.

Following The Penguin, the Season 3 finale of Industry managed 260,000 cross-platform U.S. viewers, Wbd said.

While that may seem like peanuts in comparison, it’s a strong audience for the modest finance drama. It is down from Episode 3’s audience record, but a win nonetheless.

Wbd says that Season 3 is averaging nearly 1.6M cross-platform U.S. viewers per episode, which is well ahead...

Episode 2 of “The Penguin” hit 1.6 million viewers across HBO and Max on Sunday.

Per Warner Bros. Discovery, that marks a 17% increase from the series premiere, which debuted on Sept. 19. The network initially reported 5.3 million viewers for Episode 1 after four days of viewing across platforms — including the initial linear airing on HBO, streaming on Max, and repeat airings on HBO — but this new statistic suggests that the pilot’s first night yielded approximately 1.3 million viewers. Notably, that episode debuted on a Thursday night, while Episode 2 brought the series to its regular Sunday night timeslot.

Episode 1, Wbd notes, hit 10.4 million viewers after 11 days, taking “The Penguin” above all current HBO series except for “House of the Dragon” and “The Last of Us.”

“The Penguin” is DC Studios’ first new series under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s leadership, though it was developed before their appointment as co-CEOs. Lauren LeFranc serves as showrunner...

Following yesterday evening's episode of The Penguin, HBO and Max have shared a sneak peek at episode 3 along with a second video taking us behind the scenes of "Inside Man."

The latter features interviews with the cast and crew, including Sal Maroni actor Clancy Brown. There are other interesting insights into The Batman spin-off, including a deep dive into what makes Sofia Falcone tick as she looks to make her own mark on Gotham City's underworld.

You can read our full recap of The Penguin's latest instalment here, but one of the biggest talking points has been the fact the decimated Crown Point is referred to as "No Man's Land."

Gotham appears to have descended into chaos since The Riddler's attack and we find it hard to believe that won't be a major plot point in The Batman - Part II, particularly as Matt Reeves has already said The Penguin...

The phenomenal first episode of The Penguin better familiarised us with Oz Cobb and the lengths he's willing to go to get what he wants and what he feels he deserves.

Today, we have a teaser for tomorrow's second episode of The Batman spin-off/follow-up revealing more of his and Vic's next steps as the crook makes moves to take over Gotham City's underworld. However, Sofia Falcone quite clearly presents a real threat to his mission.

We've seen The Penguin in its entirety and, at 10pm tomorrow evening, we'll be posting an in-depth recap. If you need a refresher on what went down in "After Hours," you can check that out here.

In a recent interview, Cristin Milioti talked about previously trying out for comic book roles and explained why playing The Penguin's Hangman is "a dream of a lifetime."

"I’ve dreamt of being, not just a villain,...

The Penguin sits an incredible 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the best-reviewed DC Comics adaptations ever. Unsurprisingly, those positive reviews have led to massive viewership for The Batman spin-off/sequel.

According to HBO, the show debuted with 5.3 million U.S. viewings across all platforms following its September 19 debut. For clarity, that includes repeat airings on HBO along with streaming viewership numbers from Max.

This puts The Penguin above the final season premiere of Succession (4.9 million viewers) and The White Lotus' season 2 premiere (4.1 million), two of HBO's biggest hits. Impressively, it's a mere 400,000 viewers behind True Detective: Night Country's debut.

We've also confirmed that this is Max's biggest 4-day audience for a new series since The Last of Us in January 2023.

With numbers like these, you'd best believe HBO is already mulling over a second season. It's unlikely that will fit into Matt Reeves' plans for "The Batman...

“The Penguin” is an ice cold hit.

Per HBO, the spinoff series starring Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti opened to 5.3 million U.S. viewers across all platforms since its debut on Sept. 19. That includes repeat airings on HBO as well as streaming viewership. That puts it above the final season premiere of “Succession,” which drew 4.9 million viewers, and the second season premiere of “The White Lotus,” which drew 4.1 million. It also falls just behind the premiere of “True Detective: Night Country,” which nabbed 5.7 million viewers.

Additionally, the show has landed the biggest 4-day audience for a new series on Max in every region globally since “The Last of Us” in Jan. 2023.

Farrell reprises his role from “The Batman” in the series, once again playing Gotham City gangster Oswald “Oz” Cobb. The series picks up in the days after the events of “The Batman,” with Oz seeking to seize control of...

The first episode of The Penguin debuted on Max last week, marking our return to the perilous streets of a more grounded take on Gotham City from Matt Reeves' The Batman.

Despite the title of the series and the main character's moniker from the comics, we don't actually hear anyone refer to him as "Penguin" in the premiere - and, one or two instances aside, it sounds like it's going to stay that way over the course of the full season.

“I knew that Oz didn’t appreciate the term, and that was something that felt derogatory toward him,” showrunner Lauren LeFranc tells Deadline. “Gangsters in mobs often they have these nicknames for people. So it made a lot of sense that his nickname from others would be the Penguin. But it’s not a term that he embraces.”

We do see Oz carrying an umbrella at one point as...

The Penguin premiered on HBO/Max last Thursday but we won't get a new episode until Sunday, September 29. The show will then air every Sunday until it concludes on November 10.

In the meantime, we have a new featurette for The Batman spin-off/sequel which delves into Oz Cobb's villain origin story.

As well as new footage from the movie, including some great behind-the-scenes shots, we have interviews with showrunner Lauren LeFranc, executive producer Matt Reeves, and star Colin Farrell.

There are also plenty of intriguing hints about what's to come, something the recent "Weeks Ahead" trailer for the show also teased.

"Colin is a force of nature," Reeves recently told Esquire. "He’s just an incredible actor. And the way [designer] Mike Marino transformed him, that unleashed him. My experience with him in the movie and the show is that I feel like that’s another person. It’s uncanny. There’s something incredible going on.

On day two of shooting “The Penguin” Colin Farrell, dressed in his full prosthetic makeup and body suit of his character Oswald “Oz” Cobb, aka the Penguin, turned to executive producer Dylan Clark and asked how many shooting days were left. According to the actor, Clark was mildly concerned: Was the reality just starting to set in for the actor that it would be far more physically demanding and time-consuming to transform into the Penguin as the star of an eight-episode television series than it was to play a supporting role in “The Batman” movie? Farrell would still have 80-plus shooting days remaining, in which he would have to go through the daily routine of being turned into the Penguin.

“It was an undertaking, man. It took a year,” said Farrell, referring to how production was paused due to the IATSE and teamster strike. “I had a tent that had three industrial air conditioners,...

Rumours about Robert Pattinson's Batman showing up in The Penguin persisted for months. Initially, it increased interest in The Batman spin-off, but similar to what happened with Deadpool & Wolverine and Taylor Swift, the show's creatives recently set the record straight:

"Rob is not going to be in the show," Matt Reeves said earlier this month. "I'd rather take the band-aid off now. We did talk about all that, but we felt the best way to do this was to go on a grand exploration of a guy grabbing for power in this moment."

It was a disappointing revelation, albeit one that will ensure DC fans now aren't disappointed when the finale wraps up and the Caped Crusader is nowhere to be found. So, no, there was no Batman in last night's season premiere but we did at least get a couple of minor (yet still very interesting) updates.

A...

The first episode of The Penguin premiered last night and, as we're sure you'll agree, it was fantastic. The 10-day wait for the second chapter of this eight-part crime epic won't be easy, though we do at least have a new trailer looking at what's to come in the weeks ahead.

There are plenty of intriguing hints at where this story is headed, but if one thing is clear, it's that Oz Cobb's rise to power in Gotham City will not be easy.

Max has also dropped a six-minute featurette which takes us behind the scenes of "After Hours" and includes interviews with showrunner Lauren LeFranc, executive producer Lauren LeFranc, and star Colin Farrell. You can find our recap of the episode here.

Talking of the latter, he recently spoke to ComicBook.com at The Batman spin-off's world premiere and weighed in on the Caped Crusader's absence in the series.

"He's...

The Penguin Producer Reveals HBO Show's Storyline Was Almost Part of The Batman Part II - Main Image

The executive producer of The Penguin revealed recently that the spinoff's storyline was originally intended to be part of The Batman - Part II.

The new HBO series will focus on Oswald Cobb's rise in the criminal underworld of Gotham City following the events of The Batman. Colin Farrell is reprising the titular fan-favorite villain.

It is also set to bridge the gap between the two films as it sets up the seeds of what we can expect with the sequel with the final episode teasing the storyline for the next big-screen chapter of The Batman universe.

The Penguin's Storyline Was Originally Intended for The Batman Part II

In a recent interview, The Penguin executive producer Dylan Clark revealed that the new HBO show's storyline was originally intended for The Batman - Part II....

This post contains spoilers for episode one of "The Penguin"

HBO's "The Penguin" has plunged fans into the heart of Gotham City, with a show that focuses on the travails of Colin Farrell's Penguin. The series expands the universe established by Matt Reeves in 2022's "The Batman," focusing on Penguin's power grab following the death of mob boss Carmine Falcone in the film. But Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight won't be showing up in this series, which is, as showrunner Lauren LeFranc previously explained to SFX, focused much more on "the grit and the muck and the grime" of Gotham City.

There's certainly plenty of that in the gothic industrial decay first seen in "The Batman." With that film, Reeves, production designer James Chinlund, and cinematographer Greig Fraser crafted a Gotham that felt simultaneously decrepit and somehow alluring, frequently lit by a warm tungsten glow that helped establish a suitably moody atmosphere.

Colin Farrell underwent an incredible transformation in The Batman to play Oz Cobb but The Penguin takes that to the next level. How? By stripping the villain naked for a tense interrogation scene in the first episode.

"I had a bodysuit, so I was basically covered wrist to ankle. Only things that were me were my hands and feet," the actor tells People. "Everything else, including ears, were pieces. Everything was covered."

That required spending three hours a day in the makeup chair and Farrell gives full props to artist Mike Marino for turning him into the Gotham City gangster.

"If it wasn't for Mike's design, I'm telling you now, if it was just me with a f*cking cigarette and a top hat and a bit of a limp and an umbrella that was a machine gun, we wouldn't have had the HBO show."

Admitting he "was never bored" during the gruelling transformation process,...

When director Matt Reeves was writing “The Batman,” and effectively taking the franchise reigns with what was expected to be the first of a trilogy of films featuring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader, he knew he wanted his Gotham to be a more grounded cinematic world. Inspired by the tone of Frank Miller’s comicbook series “Batman: Year One,” in which the chaotic real world of 1970s New York was a recognizable underpinning, Reeves wanted his Gotham to be recognizable to a modern audience — a direct reflection of our own broken and divisive times. That tone, more so than interlocking narrative, would be the glue.

It’s a vision Reeves had always imagined could neatly spin-off into an HBO-like series, especially when switching out of Batman’s point-of-view in the movies, and exploring the world through the eyes of one of the Rogues Gallery villains.

“They are, even more than Batman,...

Though HBO's The Penguin series is not expected to feature an appearance from Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight (this remains to be seen), we know that The Batman spin-off will lay the groundwork for Matt Reeves' upcoming sequel.

Back in June after the debut of the first full trailer for The Penguin, fans noticed that actress Carmen Ejogo's character was named Eve Karlo, leading to speculation that she might either turn out to be a gender-switched take on Basil Karlo, aka Clayface, or be revealed as a relation.

This might seem like a bit of a stretch, but several different sources have claimed that a version of this classic DC Comics villain will appear in the movie - albeit, a much more grounded take on the shape-shifting Batman baddie.

The Hollywood Handle caught up with Ejogo and director Craig Zobel at The Penguin premiere, and asked them about any possible Basil Karlo connections.

Colin Farrell has not only a massive physical transformation in The Penguin — returning to the role of his The Batman villain Oz Cobb — but also a vocal one, switching out his famous Irish accent for that of a New York gangster.

At the HBO series‘ New York premiere on Tuesday, Farrell explained the key to that switch, joking, “For some reason ‘Gefilte fish’ became an anchor if the accent was beginning to go out.”

“My dialect coach, Jessica Drake, she has a library of thousands of accents from all over the world dating back to the ’30s and ’40s, so when we’re preparing for something we go in — based on where the character’s from, we have a listen to four or five different recordings from around that region, then you narrow the zone into something you think is good energetically, not just the sounds,” the star told The Hollywood Reporter on the carpet.

Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark have been able to talk to The Direct about their plans for The Batman universe that started with the 2022 film. With The Penguin following up on The Batman, talks about other ways to expand the franchise have surfaced, and there seems to be some interest in developing a particular character by allowing him to help his own show.

Colin Farrell in The Penguin (2024) ||Credit: Warner Brothers Discovery

While speaking about how the franchise could expand, there was some potent indication that the producers of the franchise are looking to make the canceled Arkham Asylum show. However, it was also implied that a legal drama following Harvey Dent might be the right line of thought for future installments in the franchise.

Producers on The Penguin indicated that a Harvey Dent show might be around the corner Harvey Dent || Credit: DC

The producers of The Penguin were...

The Penguin is set to premiere on the Max streaming service tomorrow, and while there is a lot of excitement for the show, some fans are not on board with the decision to change the title character's real name from Oswald Cobblepot to Oswald "Oz" Cobb.

This may not seem like a huge deal, but it is viewed as an unnecessary change, and many feel that it demonstrates an unwillingness to embrace the fact that this series is based on a comic book - even if it is a more "grounded" take.

The Hollywood Handle asked director/EP Craig Zobel about the change, while also bringing up a fan theory that "Cobb" might signify some connection to Court of Owls assassin William Cobb.

“I can’t 100% answer that because I don’t know everything in Matt Reeves’ mind, but largely, we all kinda felt like Cobblepot wasn’t a real person’s name.

There have been rumblings for a while that Mark Strong will appear in The Penguin, but that's finally 100% official courtesy of a new X post from The Batman spin-off's X account.

Strong will play a younger version of Carmine Falcone in the series; John Turturro portrayed the character in The Batman and it's his death which created the power vacuum Oz Cobb now looks to fill in his TV show.

Some are bound to argue that there were bigger and better roles for Strong in the Bat-verse than this, while there are also questions about why Turturro wasn't brought back to play this younger version of Falcone (makeup and minimal VFX might have been enough to pull that off).

Still, we're excited to see what the Kingsman and Green Lantern star brings to the table here.

Screen Rant recently caught up with executive producer Matt Reeves and asked why The...

DC fans have a lot to look forward to this week with the debut of The Penguin series. This spinoff from Matt Reeves’ The Batman movie franchise exists in a separate universe, distinct from Gunn’s and Safran’s Dcu. The show picks up one week after The Batman, with Falcone dead and The Penguin working to fill the power vacuum with Sofia Falcone’s help.

It’s clear that Reeves plans to expand this Epic Crime Saga further. He recently revealed that The Batman Part II, currently in development, will be set a week after the events of The Penguin.

It looks like the franchise will be expanding with another TV show, as confirmed by producers Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark.

During a recent press event for The Penguin, The Direct spoke with Reeves and Clark. Clark revealed that a new spinoff series from The Batman saga is currently in development.

DC fans have something to look forward to this week with ‘The Penguin’ series. This spinoff of Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ movie franchise is set in a separate universe, distinct from Gunn’s and Safran’s Dcu. The show will be set one week after the events of ‘The Batman,’ with Falcone dead and The Penguin scrambling to fill the power vacuum with the help of Sofia Falcone.

Now it’s obvious that Reeves aims to expand upon this Epic Crime Saga further, as he recently discussed that ‘The Batman Part II,’ currently in development, will be set a week following the events of the show.

However, it seems that the franchise will get another TV show as Reeves and Clarke, the show’s producers confirmed.

The Direct recently sat down with executive producers Matt Reeves and Dylan Clark during a press event related to the show. Clark mentioned that...

The Penguin stars Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti were among the attendees at the HBO miniseries’ premiere, held Sept. 17 in New York City at the Jazz At Lincoln Center.

They were joined on the black carpet by executive producers Lauren LeFranc (also writer/showrunner), Bill Carraro, Dylan Clark and Craig Zobel, who also serves as director for the first three episodes (Farrell is also an EP). EPs Matt Reeves, 2022’s The Batman helmer, was not pictured.

Also in attendance were network bosses HBO CEO Casey Bloys; Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at Max; and Warner Bros. Television Studio CEO Channing Dungey. Co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, also made an appearance. The creative team behind the high-profile IP-driven series (previously a Max release), including prosthetics designer Mike Marino, also joined the carpet.

In addition to castmembers Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly (not in attendance), Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell,...

Limited series The Penguin will see Colin Farrell return to his portrayal of Oz Cobb from The Batman (2022) starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz among others.

The is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, and Lauren LeFranc, who serves as writer and showrunner. Craig Zobel directed the first three episodes in addition to executive producing. Bill Carraro also executive produces.

The release schedule for The Penguin is a little trickier than usual for an HBO show, and the details can be found below:

When does The Penguin come out?

The Penguin premieres Thursday, Sept. 19 as the first episode will be available to stream on Max at 9 p.m. Et/Pt.

How many episodes are in The Penguin?

The series contains eight episodes.

When are new episodes of The Penguin streaming on Max? Will they arrive weekly or all at once?

The first episode of The Penguin will...

The Penguin Producer Breaks Silence on Villain's Controversial Name Change - Main Image

Oswald Cobblepot has undergone a major name change in Matt Reeves' The Batman universe and it's something that ruffled the feathers of some fans. Now, The Penguin producer insists it was necessary for the villain's upcoming HBO series, and here's why.

Why The Penguin's Name Change Was Necessary According to Producer

In the comic books, The Penguin's real name is Oswald Cobblepot. However, Matt Reeves' The Batman shortened the name to "Oz Cobb", which established that the world the filmmaker was trying to build outside the DC Universe was completely different.

Reeves' Bat-Verse gives a different take on the main villain of the story by utilizing its continuation onwards to his own series on Max.

"We had a lot of conversations with DC Comics and with Jim Lee [President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer]," producer Dylan Clark explained in the latest SFX...

The Batman villain the Penguin first appeared in DC Comics way back in the 1940s, where his real name was revealed to be Oswald Cobblepot. That's been his name for a long time, but in the 2022 movie The Batman, it was changed to "Oswald Cobb." What happened to Cobblepot?

We'll be seeing a lot of Oswald in his new show The Penguin, which premieres this Thursday, September 19 on HBO and Max. Per ComicBookMovie, SFX Magazine asked producer Dylan Clark about the name change. "We had a lot of conversations with DC Comics and with Jim Lee [President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer]," he said. "They had thought about changing his name at some point but had never done it. [The Batman director Matt Reeves] asked, 'Can I call our character Oz Cobb?' And Jim said, 'Absolutely!' So we got a blessing from the king himself. That small change of the name allowed us to look at this character in a grounded way.

We're just a couple of days away from The Penguin premiering on HBO/Max and, while the DC series has received glowing reviews from critics, there's one creative decision which is bugging a lot of fans.

In the comics, The Penguin is also known as Ozwald Cobblepot. It's a pretty over-the-top name, yes, and The Batman shortened it to "Oz" for the sake of realism given what a grounded world filmmaker Matt Reeves has created for his Dark Knight.

However, in The Penguin, it's confirmed that the villain's new name in this "Bat-verse" is simply Oz Cobb. That's not just a shortening of the full version either; it's a completely different name for the character.

"They never got around to changing his name in the comics like they did with the Riddler, going from Edward Nigma to Edward Nashton, from an unreal name to a real name," producer Dylan Clark...

Following The Batman's hugely successful theatrical run, director Matt Reeves announced that a number of small-screen spin-offs were in the works, including The Penguin, a Gotham Pd series, and a project focusing on the infamous Arkham Asylum.

Only one of these ended up moving forward (The Penguin premieres this week), but it sounds like early plans are in place for another show set in the BatVerse, or "The Batman Epic Crime Saga" to give the franchise its official title.

While speaking to The Direct, The Penguin executive producer Dylan Clark revealed that he is "continuing" to develop another spin-off with Matt Reeves. When asked if we might see "a legal drama series following Harvey Dent," Reeves responded that this was "thinking certainly in the way that our conversations have gone."

Nothing too concrete, but it does sound like a show focusing on the Gotham Da turned ruthless criminal has been discussed.