The Batman 2: HBO Max’s Penguin sets up the upcoming sequel
The Penguin’s HBO Max series will be closely linked to The Batman and its sequel.
With The Penguin series in pre-production and about to begin principal photography in February, fans of The Batman are curious as to how the upcoming series ties in with the Robert Pattinson-headlined 2022 motion picture and the untitled sequel that is still years in the making. Collider (H/T: The Direct) may have revealed the answer.
The director himself, Matt Reeves, told Collider that the Colin Farrell featured miniseries, which takes place a week after The Batman ends, will set up events that will lead into the bat-frenzied sequel.
"“There’s actually a whole little fabric of things we’re wanting to do, the way we’re doing with [the] Penguin and how that comes back into how that will lead into the sequel, and what that sequel is going to be.”"
Reeves struck gold when The Batman cemented itself as the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2022, making $770 million at the box office against an approximate $185 million production budget. It was also nominated for the usual categories for a film of this genre, such as Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects at the 95th Academy Awards.
Right now, it seems the steps towards making The Batman 2 a reality are coming together. Mattson Tomlin is co-writing the script with Reeves. Tomlin made earlier contributions to a draft of the original, noir-inspired, 2022 film. Moreover, Reeves and Pattinson each teased fans with mentions of possible baddies such as Mr. Freeze, Calendar Man, Hush, and The Court of Owls as potential villains for the next installment.
Since Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot is climbing up the ladder within the criminal underworld in his own series, expect Penguin to play a bigger part in the next film. An untitled Arkham spin-off series is also in development, with Antonio Campos attached as showrunner in addition to serving as executive producer and director. The GCPD spin-off previously thought to be stopped in its tracks has seemingly resumed development too.
The Penguin follows the infamous crime boss of Gotham, Oswald Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin. It stars Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti.
Lauren LeFranc is writing the series and is serving as the showrunner. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Craig Zobel, Farrell, and LeFranc are credited as executive producers.
The Penguin is being produced by 6th and Idaho Productions, Dylan Clark Productions, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Television. It is expected to drop in the near future on HBO Max.
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Are you pleased to see more of Penguin in this new Bat-centric franchise? Who else do you think should be the new threat for The Dark Knight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!