The upcoming TV series “The Penguin” will follow the criminal enterprises of Oswald/Oz “The Penguin” Cobb (Colin Farrell), one of the more charismatic crime bosses in the urban hellhole of Gotham City. This version of the Penguin debuted in Matt Reeves’ 2022 superhero film “The Batman,” a three-hour epic that re-envisioned Batman (Robert Pattinson) as a humorless husk and Gotham as a city very similar to the one seen in David Fincher’s 1995 serial killer film “Seven.” The Penguin wasn’t the central antagonist of “The Batman,” but he was interrogated pretty sharply by Batman in one notable scene, and he provided a lot of personality to an otherwise dour film.
The Penguin was realized using impressive makeup effects, making Farrell look like a completely different person. The makeup was nominated for an Academy Award. The same makeup will be carried over into “The Penguin.”
Fans of “The Batman” wondered if the title hero would also occasionally appear in “The Penguin,” given that they exist in the same universe. Indeed, Batman’s rogue’s gallery have a tendency to congregate — “The Batman” also featured Catwoman, the Riddler, and the Joker — so fans might be postulating if “The Penguin” might also feature Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, or any number of other Batman villains.
A new article in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, however, may douse a few hopes. The makers of “The Penguin” have stated categorically that Batman will not be a part of the new show, and that they wanted to forge a new path for the character away from the well-worn superhero. Sorry, Bat-fans, but Batman is operating on his own bat-time and on his own bat-channel.
The bat remains in the cave for The Penguin
“The Penguin” showrunner Lauren LeFranc explained succinctly that Gotham City is an interesting enough place without Batman in it, and that a Penguin story will function perfectly well without that pesky Dark Knight flitting about. The city, she said, “deserved to have more doors unlocked within it, and for us to walk through those and see what we think.” Which is a fair point. If Gotham City was constructed in such a way that it inspired one man to be a Batman, then surely there are myriad other people making equally outlandish gestures in response to the criminal underworld.
For LeFranc, it was the other, non-Batman people she wanted to think about, believing that the impact would be just as great. As she put it:
“I understand why people’s desire would be to have Batman, or to think that unless Batman’s in a show or a film then it doesn’t have the same punch. […] To me I think it packs a different punch. Matt’s films are through the lens of the Batman, so you’re high up, looking down on the city. It’s a different perspective. With Oz, you’re in the city streets, you’re in the grit and the muck and the grime. He’s looking up, wanting to claw his way to the top.”
Matt Reeves, who serves as an executive producer on “The Penguin,” also felt no need to insert Batman into a show where he is not needed. He said that the show isn’t missing anything fundamental and that audiences are going to know this is Batman’s world anyway. If audiences could accept the TV series “Gotham,” they’d be able to accept “The Penguin.” Reeves is also counting on viewers of “The Penguin” to have seen “The Batman,” knowing that the events of his film would inform the story of “The Penguin.” “The specter of everything that happens in the last movie is there,” Reeves explained.
A second film to feature Pattinson as Batman is currently in the works and is scheduled for release in October 2026. “The Penguin” will debut on September 19, 2024, on HBO and Max.
