‘The Penguin’ Unveils Crime-Packed Trailer at Comic-Con

Few TV leads can say they endured more to get into character than Colin Farrell, the handsome leading man who endured 3 1/2 hours of makeup every day to transform into the unrecognizable Oz Cobb for The Penguin.

Now the fruit of all those hours sitting in the makeup chair is about to bloom, with the show getting the closeup at San Diego Comic-Con during a prime Saturday spot. HBO used the event to launch a new trailer for the show, which launches Sept. 19 on HBO and Max and received huge applause after it played to the Comic-Con crowd. The series was initially set to be a Max original but moved under the HBO umbrella — meaning it will both run on the cable channel and stream on Max — as part of a branding and strategy shift.

The Penguin marks an expansion of the universe of The Batman, the 2022 hit that starred Robert Pattinson and which introduced the world to Oz Cobb, the aspiring crime boss who rises to rule the Gotham underworld as The Penguin.

Farrell appeared virtually, with other panelists including Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), executive producer Reeves, showrunner Lauren LeFranc and executive producer Dylan Clark.

As for the future, The Batman II is on the horizon for 2026, and it’s possible there could be more TV shows set in this universe. The Penguin hails from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, the new arm run by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions are also behind the project, which also stars Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), 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).

Watch the trailer below.