The Batman's Penguin spin-off show writer Lauren LeFranc confirms her showrunner role on the in-development DC Comics series. Farrell stars in Matt Reeves' superhero epic as Oswald Cobblepot, currently the operator for the Iceberg Lounge in Gotham City and the chief lieutenant to Carmine Falcone. The Batman's version of the iconic character has yet to become the crime kingpin from the comics and is rarely referred to as The Penguin.
With The Batman being developed to establish a new shared universe separate from the DC Extended Universe, a number of follow-up projects were announced in the lead up to the film's release. One such spinoff was that of a Penguin-focused HBO Max series with Farrell reprising his role for his latest major TV project after True Detective season 2 and The North Water and Reeves attached to executive produce with Dylan Clark and Farrell. While one The Batman spin-off has run into some problems in its development, it appears one is further on track.
On the heels of the film hitting theaters, new details for The Batman's Penguin spin-off show have been revealed. Lauren LeFranc, who was attached as a writer for the HBO Max series, has updated her Twitter bio to confirm her role as showrunner on the project. LeFranc was previously confirmed to be writing the pilot for the series when it was first announced in late 2021.
Confirmation of LeFranc's role as The Batman's Penguin spinoff showrunner comes on the heels of Matt Reeves' reveal that the Arkham Asylum-based spinoff has been put on hold. Given the latter's evolution from a Gotham City Police Department series into the horror-tinged Arkham story, it's understandable development on the project has been delayed until a proper vision has been determined for it. Additionally, with Reeves sure to get the call from Warner Bros. to begin developing The Batman 2 sometime in the near future thanks to the first film's critical and commercial success, the filmmaker may too busy to help oversee the Arkham series.
It is interesting to note that Reeves recently revealed The Batman Penguin spinoff show was originally suggested by the filmmaker to the studio as a sequel movie, only for Warner Bros. to instead express interest in developing the idea as a show. Recent reports have also pointed towards the new series filming sometime soon, which makes LeFranc's confirmation as showrunner understandable given the necessity to have a leading voice before production could truly begin. Audiences can catch up with Farrell's debut as The Penguin with The Batman now in theaters.
Source: Lauren LeFranc/Twitter
