Despite rampant fan speculation, The Penguin finale did not feature Robert Pattinson making an appearance as the Batman. Although it was confirmed that he was not going to cameo, that didn’t stop audiences from hoping the fan-favorite Dark Knight would show up to stop Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) from taking over the criminal underworld. Now, the filmmaker behind the acclaimed franchise has revealed that an early idea was cut for The Penguin involving a special appearance by Batman meeting a series regular.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Batman director Matt Reeves confirmed that there were early talks about having his Caped Crusader crossover into the HBO series. However, talks about including a Batman cameo in The Penguin never reached further than preliminary talks among the creative team. A scene featuring the superhero wasn’t even written up, but Reeves did reveal an early idea that was prominent in their discussions. At one point, they considered having Pattinson’s Batman meet Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), a fan-favorite character and Penguin’s partner in crime. Unfortunately, the idea did not make it very far in the development process.
“Over the course of writing the season, we discussed many times whether or not there might be some cross-through that would feel earned. We tried a few different ideas conceptually, nothing that was ever written ultimately, but nothing seemed to quite gel in a way that felt earned.”
The only reference to Batman in The Penguin ended up being his Bat signal being lit up as Oz Cobb triumphantly declared himself the victor. The ending of the series was as bleak as it gets, but it seems Batman will eventually get to Penguin at some point in the upcoming sequel, set to release in theaters in 2026. Yes, it will take some time for fans to finally see Oz get what he deserves after committing several heinous acts throughout the show, especially in the finale. However, at least it is clear that The Penguin will be an important viewing going forward, despite the lack of the franchise’s central superhero.
The Future of The Batman & The Penguin is Promising
Although The Penguin was originally meant to be a limited series, Reeves and HBO have already been in active talks about a Season 2. The critically-acclaimed show, which will surely garner some awards recognition when the time comes, leaves most of its characters in an entirely different place than they started in. It is said that the ending will directly bleed into The Batman: Part II, and Oz Cobb will share the screen in six or five scenes. Unfortunately, this means a possible The Penguin Season 2 would have to wait until well after The Batman sequel hits theaters.
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The Penguin features jaw-dropping performances from Colin Farrell as Oz and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. There is no doubt that both characters will return at some point, and perhaps Season 2 would be the best place to do so instead of the big screen alongside the Caped Crusader. Besides, Sofia’s connection with Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) should be enough to warrant its own time on a television series instead of a supporting role in The Batman: Part II. Of course, too much of a good thing can be a curse too, which means Reeves and co. are going to have to be careful when deciding on a new season.
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
- Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- Cast
- Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O’Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
- Seasons
- 1
