Poison Ivy series in development at HBO with The Penguin’s Lauren LeFranc
HBO is developing a series about the Batman villain, with Lauren LeFranc in talks to produce. The project remains at an early stage.
HBO and DC Studios are developing a television series about Batman villain Poison Ivy, with The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc in talks to produce, The Hollywood Reporter reported on 21 October. Variety also reported the HBO project and LeFranc’s involvement. The early-stage series would give the character a starring television vehicle after appearances in films and other shows.
Lauren LeFranc’s role in the Poison Ivy project
The Hollywood Reporter described LeFranc’s involvement as talks to produce, while Variety described her as a producer. Neither report establishes that HBO has ordered a series. The Hollywood Reporter said no cast or writer specifics were available, and HBO declined to comment. No release date or production schedule has been announced.
LeFranc created and ran The Penguin, the 2024 HBO series starring Colin Farrell as the Gotham crime figure he played in The Batman. Matt Reeves, director of that film, was an executive producer. The Hollywood Reporter said The Penguin won nine Emmys in 2025; HBO has not renewed it for a second season.
Poison Ivy’s screen history and Batman connection
Poison Ivy is the alter ego of botanist Dr. Pamela Isley in Batman comics. Introduced in 1966, the plant-controlling character became a recurring Batman adversary. Uma Thurman played her in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, and the character has appeared in animated series including Harley Quinn, as well as the live-action shows Gotham and Batwoman. She has not previously led her own television series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Whether the proposed show will connect to Reeves’ films remains unsettled. The Hollywood Reporter said it is understood to fall outside his Batman universe, but presented that detail as unconfirmed. That distinction matters because LeFranc’s previous Gotham series, The Penguin, was set within that universe and carried Farrell’s film character into television.
The project comes as DC continues bringing Batman villains to the screen. The Hollywood Reporter said a Clayface film directed by James Watkins was due for release the day after its Poison Ivy report, while Reeves’ The Batman Part II was scheduled for 18 February 2028. Those projects provide context for the development, but HBO has given no timetable for Poison Ivy.
Read in depth: Entertainment
Netflix says its international shows are working as Peter Rice takes over content
Netflix executives praised local productions and pointed to broadcaster deals with TF1 and Globo during an October 20 earnings call, while acknowledging that the U.S. slate...
David Fincher cut 60 pages from Tarantino’s Cliff Booth script. Here’s why
Fincher says the first draft ran to 230 pages and felt like two movies. He and Quentin Tarantino have described how they focused the Brad Pitt follow-up.
Sources and context
- Poison Ivy TV Series In Development at HBO With ‘The Penguin’ ShowrunnerThe Hollywood Reporter
- Poison Ivy DC Series in the Works at HBO With ‘The Penguin’ Exec Lauren LeFrancVariety
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.