Max, the official new name of the streaming service HBO Max as a result of the company’s merger with Discovery+, released some first-look footage as well as an image from their new series The Penguin. The eight-episode DC Studios drama series continues the Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman, and centers on the character played by Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell (The Batman, Saving Mr. Banks) in the film.
The first look was revealed today exclusively during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. The footage that was released was an In-Production Teaser from HBO Max. It features Farrell as the Penguin in some behind-the-scenes shots, as well as clips from the series, and as the narrator. Alongside him were some of the previously announced cast, which includes Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs, The Wolf of Wall Street), Michael Kelly (House of Cards, Jack Ryan), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Arcane, The Promise), Rhenzy Feliz (Marvel’s Runaways), and Deirdre O’Connel (The Requin, The Boy Downstairs). Feliz, Kelly, Aghdashloo, and O’Connel were announced earlier this year to be joining the DC Comics production. Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Dexter: New Blood) and Michael Zegen (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Walking Dead) will have recurring roles in the show as well.
Warner Bros. has also announced several other green-lit projects for Max, such as a new Games of Thrones prequel, a Harry Potter series, a Big Bang Theory spinoff, The Conjuring, and a Gremlins animated series, among others. Additionally, several features and teasers have been released for The Regime, The Sympathizer, and True Detective.
Max will launch on May 23 as an enhanced streaming platform from Warner Bros. It is said to include the highest quality scripted programming including but not limited to family-friendly content, Warner Bros. movies, Max Originals, and the DC Universe.