New Batman Villain Series Officially Confirmed at HBO From 'The Penguin' Showrunner

Batman’s rogues’ gallery has found itself leading many projects without the Caped Crusader’s involvement. Some, like Joker and The Penguin, were acclaimed entries that audiences loved. Others, like Catwoman and Joker: Folie à Deux, were critical and financial bombs. The next Batman villain to get a solo project is Clayface, whose feature film opens in theaters on Oct. 23, 2026.

In August 2026, The Ankler reported that DC Studios had passed on television pitches for series centered on Catwoman and Poison Ivy. It was unclear if these two projects would be set in the DCU or be spin-offs of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which already featured Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman. At the time, the uncertainty around the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger seemed to be holding back any new DC-related projects from being announced. Now that both studios are under Skydance’s ownership, it appears one of those planned television series is being revived by someone who knows Gotham’s streets well.

Deadline reports that The Penguin showrunner and executive producer, Lauren LeFranc, is in talks to develop a Poison Ivy series. Plans for the project have resumed after a pause due to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. LeFranc would produce the Poison Ivy project but not write it. Despite her work on The Penguin, Deadline reports that the Poison Ivy television series would not be part of Matt Reeves’ Batman universe. It is unclear if the project is intended to be part of James Gunn’s DCU.

Poison Ivy debuted in Batman #181 in June 1966 and was created by Carmine Infantino, Robert Kanigher, and Sheldon Moldoff. Originally a botanist named Pamela Isley, she was transformed by a lab accident into a metahuman who can control and manipulate plant life and release pheromones to influence others. Uma Thurman previously played the character in 1997’s Batman & Robin. In the series Gotham, Clare Foley, Maggie Geha, and Peyton List played Poison Ivy. Lake Bell has voiced the character for five seasons of HBO Max’s hit animated comedy, Harley Quinn.

Though some trades have reported that Scarlett Johansson will play Gilda Dent, Matt Reeves and DC Studios have never officially confirmed the casting. As a result, rumors suggest Johansson might play a grounded take on Poison Ivy, potentially a serial killer who uses plants as weapons. A Poison Ivy television show could hint at Johansson’s role, but because the series isn’t connected to The Batman franchise, it keeps the former MCU star’s role a mystery.

It is entirely possible that Poison Ivy might have been originally developed to be part of Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise but has been folded into the DCU. Poison Ivy is a natural fit for the DCU for several reasons. Ivy’s connection to Harley Quinn could let Margot Robbie return to the franchise. Poison Ivy is also connected to The Green, an elemental force that connects all plant life that is heavily featured in Swamp Thing stories. A new Swamp Thing film by James Mangold is still in development at DC Studios.

As for The Batman corner of the franchise, there are currently no plans for The Penguin Season 2. Initial plans included a Gotham City Police Department series and one centered on Arkham Asylum, but those have since been canceled. Matt Reeves has stepped away from filming The Batman — Part II for an undisclosed personal reason. Steven Soderbergh will complete filming in close collaboration with Reeves. Reeves will return to the project during post-production. Batman — Part II is currently set for release on Feb. 18, 2028.