The Penguin
Everything you need to know about Batman series, The Penguin
Sky is delighted to announce it will become the official home of Batman series The Penguin.
The Warner Bros Television and DC Studios drama series will follow the titular character – aka Oz Cobb – as he attempts to become the kingpin of Gotham City’s underworld.
Colin Farrell will reprise his role as the titular character, after his first appearance in the role in 2022’s The Batman movie.
The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, Bill Carraro, and Daniel Pipski.
Commenting on the news, Lucy Criddle, Sky Director of Acquisitions and Strategic Projects, said: "The Penguin is an outstanding addition to our growing comic slate of films and series.
“With the grimy world of Gotham City amidst chaos, the story continues The Batman epic crime saga and I’m excited to see Farrell take this iconic character to new heights in this eight-part limited drama series.”
Watch the trailer
When did The Penguin first premiere?
The Penguin premiered on Friday 20 September on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.
Who stars in The Penguin?
The cast list includes:
Colin Farrell (Banshees of Inisherin, True Detective) as Oz Cobb aka ‘The Penguin’
Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs, How I Met Your Mother) as Sofia Falcone
Michael Zegen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Boardwalk Empire) as Alberto Falcone
Clancy Brown (Billions, Gen V) as Salvatore Maroni
Rhenzy Feliz (Runaways, The Tender Bar) as Victor Aguilar
Michael Kelly (House of Cards, Lioness) as Johnny Vitti
Shohreh Aghdashloo (24, The Expanse) as Nadia Maroni
Deirdre O’Connell (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Outer Range) as Francis Cobb
How many episodes are in The Penguin?
The Penguin ran for eight, drama-fuelled episodes.
The series is presented as a self-encompassing story, and as of yet there have been no announcements regarding a second season.
The Penguin: Who is the character and when did he first appear?
The Penguin’s real name is Oswald Cobblepot, one of Batman’s most acclaimed supervillains and a formidable force in Gotham’s underworld.
Cobblepot was given the name The Penguin due to his distinctive physique, which includes a portly belly and beak-shaped nose, which results in him walking with a waddle.
This is often accentuated further by him wearing a black and white coattail suit, squinting to wear a monocle when needed.
He covers his crimes using a nightclub, the Iceberg Lounge, as a front.
However, he proves time and again to be an intimidating force and knows how to acquire the right information to blackmail and corrupt those around him.
He’s not afraid to fight dirty, and has a collection of henchmen ready to put his decisions into actions by any means necessary.
Cobblepot is also incredibly clever, and has a number of defense weapons at hand should he need to roll his sleeves up himself.
His main mission in life is to bring down Batman, who continues to impose a threat in his illegal operation.
As a result, he has frequently been seen teaming up with other famed Batman villains, notably The Joker and The Riddler.
The character’s first appearance was in 1941 as part of the Detective Comics series by DC.
In live-action adaptations of the franchise, the Penguin has previously been portrayed by Burgess Meredith in the 1966 movie, Danny DeVito in 1992’s Batman Returns, and Robin Lord Taylor in TV series Gotham, which ran from 2014 to 2019.
How to watch The Penguin in the UK
The Penguin is available now on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
The Penguin available now on Sky Atlantic and NOW
Learn more about The Penguin
The Penguin: Reviews
“A five-star series that mafia film fans will adore”
Evening Standard 
“A slick and powerful beast, with enough action and heart to capture existing fans and create many more”
The Guardian “It’s this empathy for its characters...that makes The Penguin so riveting”
Empire Magazine 
“What carries The Penguin is the richness of its characters and the complexity of its storytelling”
NME