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.
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’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, and our chat with Reeves about the series’ future and his franchise plans.
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