Irish actor to reprise role of Batman villain in spin-off series

The Batman star Colin Farrell is to reprise his role as The Penguin in a new spin-off TV series.

The actor will play the DC Comics villain in the limited series for US streaming service HBO Max.

He will also serve as an executive producer, alongside The Batman’s director, Matt Reeves.

HBO Max said in a social media post: “Every story has a beginning.

“@DCComics’ The Penguin (working title), a new Max Originals limited series starring Colin Farrell, is coming to HBO Max.

“Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, and Lauren LeFranc to serve as executive producers.”

Farrell is barely recognisable in the role as the comic book super-villain, for which he wears heavy prosthetics.

Discussing his transformation, he previously said, "Just being buried… being anonymous by being buried beneath all that make-up kind of freed me up in a way that I’d never experienced before. I had no fears about how I was being seen or portrayed.” 

The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, has been a box office hit and made more than 300 million US dollars worldwide since its release earlier this month, according to Forbes.

The Penguin is one of the most famous villains from the Batman comics and is typically recognisable by his top hat, monocle, and wide variety of deadly umbrellas.

The character has previously been played by actors including Burgess Meredith, Danny DeVito and Robin Lord Taylor.