Cancelled The Batman spin-off was replaced by The Penguin - but there could be more

The Penguin is finally coming to screens this week more than two years after the release of The Batman - but HBO and Sky nearly had a very different spin-off on their hands.

Starring Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb from the 2022 blockbuster, the series follows the aspiring crime lord as he takes advantage of the havoc wreaked by the Riddler (played by Paul Dano).

Following the death of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), Penguin must join forces with his children Alberto (Michael Zegen) and Sofia (Cristin Milioti) to establish a new order in Gotham’s underworld.

However, the criminals will constantly have the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) on their tail as well as a certain Caped Crusader (Robert Pattinson).

As Matt Reeves’ DC Comics universe begins to expand, let’s lift the lid on the spin-offs that very nearly came to be.

Before starting work on The Penguin, Reeves and his producing partner Dylan Clark were originally developing a spin-off centred on the GCPD.

It’s unclear which characters would appear and who would star in the series, but it’s a strong possibility that Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) would have played a major role.

Unfortunately, in March 2022 it was confirmed the series had been put on hold.

Instead, HBO and Warner Bros would focus on series based on existing comic book characters, although reportedly some of their ideas for the GCPD series were rolled into The Penguin.

Despite Reeves and Clark’s commitment to exploring Batman’s rogues gallery, a series set inside Arkham Asylum, the prison/psychiatric facility where many of his villains spend most of their time, was also cancelled.

“They were like, ‘We like what you’re doing, and we want to lean harder into the marquee characters,'” Reeves explained to Entertainment Weekly.

Just because two spin-offs have now been cancelled doesn’t mean there’s any chance of this Batman universe slowing down, though.

A sequel to The Batman is currently in development with a view to release in 2026, and Reeves indicated that HBO is going full throttle on shows based on other iconic adversaries.

Speaking to Digital Spy, he said: “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 rogues gallery characters are.

"In the comics, the rogues 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 villain would you like to see taking centre stage after the Penguin?

The Penguin premieres Thursday, September 19 on HBO and the following Friday on Sky Atlantic and NOW.