‘The Penguin’ Director Lands New HBO First-Look Deal
The Penguin‘s visionary lead director, Craig Zobel, has signed a new multi-year, first-look deal at HBO.
The Emmy nominee helmed the first three episodes of the Gothic crime drama, helping establish the visual language of the series, as well as serving as an executive producer.
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The Penguin started strong out of the gate with an acclaimed pilot and gradually became one of the network’s biggest hits in years, with its series premiere having racked up a cumulative 18 million U.S. viewers.
Zobel previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he kicked off his relationship with the show by writing Reeves a fan letter about The Batman. “I happened to have his email,” he said. “So I reached out to say, ‘Hey, not for nothing, [The Batman] was the superhero movie I wanted to see right now. You killed it.’ That was my first time saying anything to Matt at all.”
Zobel’s credits include executive producing and directing the entirety of HBO’s Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown (2021). His other television credits include episodes of The Leftovers, Westworld and American Gods. Zobel’s film credits include The Hunt (2020), Z for Zachariah (2015) and Compliance (2012).
The HBO project, from showrunner Lauren LeFranc, continues filmmaker Matt Reeves’ The Batman epic crime saga. While The Penguin is billed as an eight-episode limited series, there are ongoing discussions about a second season.
For more Penguin coverage, see The Hollywood Reporter‘s interview with star Colin Farrell about that finale and The Batman Part II, showrunner LeFranc breaking down her season finale decisions, and our chat with Reeves about the series’ future and his franchise plans.
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