Entertainment

Paloma Faith Is Taking On A Badass & Villainous Acting Gig In This New Batman Show

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DC Comics fan rejoice, because a brand new Batman prequel is on its way. The upcoming drama series Pennyworth follows the story of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's famous butler, who previously worked as a British SAS soldier. In the new show, which takes place in 1960s London, the butler forms a security company with Bruce's billionaire father, Thomas Wayne. The series will star actor Jack Bannon and British singer Paloma Faith, but when is Pennyworth out in the UK?

According to the Express, the series will air on Epix, however Pennyworth is yet to receive an official release date. I have contacted the show's broadcaster for comment, and I'll update with any new information once it becomes available. The Batman prequel is likely to premiere sometime in 2019, and as Deadline reports, the series recently finished up filming on London's South Bank.

The Imitation Game's Jack Bannon will star as the lead character Pennyworth in the new series. The character has recently completed his service as a British SAS solder, and then goes onto form a security company with billionaire Thomas Wayne — who is portrayed by Our Girl star Ben Aldridge. Also appearing in Pennyworth is actor Jason Flemyng who will be play the "sadistic" Lord Harwood, and the "Never Tear Us Apart" singer Paloma Faith.

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Faith was confirmed to be starring in the series as Alfred’s main adversary, Bet Sykes — who is described as a "spirited, sadistic and sharp-tongued villain," reports Digital Spy, and during an appearance on Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 show, Faith discussed how she enjoyed playing a villain in the new show. "I get to be a horrible, horrible human being," she told Dermot O'Leary while talking about the series." The BRIT Award-winner then added "It's like, in a public persona I have to be really nice all the time, and as a mother I have to be really nice all the time. It's so amazing to go to work and everyone wants you to be as horrible as possible. I really enjoy it. I love that. So I'm a horrible villain."

Danny Cannon and Bruno Heller, who are known for their work on the U.S. crime drama Gotham, are executive producers of the upcoming series, which is set in 1960s London. Much of Pennyworth has been filmed at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, England, and the executive producers have previously discussed the show's setting. According to Deadline, Cannon said "It’s twenty-something years before Gotham, it’s a very different world, this is the DC version of 1960s London," and added, "It’s not the England we know. It looks and feels like, but if you look a little closer, (you ask), 'Why is that like that? Why is that building there? What war is he talking about?'"

Cannon has also promised that Pennyworth will be an "unhinged, R-rated" series, especially when compared to the fellow DC Comics show, Gotham. The executive producer also revealed that ancestors of legendary villains such as the Joker and the Penguin will not appear in the series, but did give some hints as to what kind of villains viewers can expect. He said "archetypal villains and classic villains of British literature; they’re all available to us."

Pennyworth will hit our screens later in 2019, and I, for one, cannot wait.