The Penguin will be a vital part of the larger story Matt Reeves is telling with The Batman and its upcoming sequel, The Batman – Part II. The Penguin stars Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobblepott aka The Penguin after debuting in 2022’s The Batman. In that film, Penguin was the owner of the Iceberg Lounge and an enforcer for the Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone. The upcoming HBO series will see how the Penguin climbs the ladder of the Gotham underworld to become one of Batman’s greatest adversaries.
Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, where The Penguin will hold a panel on Saturday, July 27, in Hall H, Entertainment Weekly offered fans an advanced look at the upcoming series. The Penguin lead writer and showrunner Lauren LeFranc revealed that the series is set one week after the events of The Batman and will lead directly into The Batman – Part II, which is currently set for release on October 2, 2026. This makes The Penguin an important part in the larger story that Matt Reeves is telling with The Batman and will be vital viewing.
“We are the bridge between the two films. We’re going almost directly into the second film Matt has planned.”
The Penguin
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- 6th & Idaho Productions, DC Entertainment, Dylan Clark Productions
Television and Movies Are Becoming More Connected
The Batman is the latest movie franchise to include an expanded TV universe with The Penguin. This follows on the heels of Paramount+’s Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, an off-shoot that will sit between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the upcoming 2026 sequel. The Dune franchise is also expanding into television with a prequel series, Dune: Prophecy, that will also air on HBO in 2024 with The Penguin as Warner Bros. Discovery looks to cash in on their critically acclaimed auteur-driven blockbusters with television expansions.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made cross-media stories a main selling point of their Multiverse Saga, with WandaVision leading into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier being a setup for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. This does open the possibility for larger, more immersive stories, but also runs the risk of alienating audiences who feel they might be lost in the films if they haven’t watched the series. This was cited as a major factor in how The Marvels bombed at the box office, with many believing they had to catch up with shows like Ms.Marvel and Secret Invasion to enjoy the Captain Marvel sequel.
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With The Penguin being pitched as a vital component to The Batman – Part II, it will be curious if the same fans who have criticized MCU projects for “requiring homework” to enjoy a new entry will feel the same about this next part of The Batman story. Audiences will certainly have plenty of time as there will be a two-year gap between The Penguin and The Batman – Part II, but it will be interesting to see if The Penguin is actually required viewing to enjoy The Batman – Part II or if the film will operate under the assumption the audience only saw The Batman.