You may not have heard, but “The Penguin” has been a massive streaming and critical hit for HBO. So much so that many are wondering if what was expected just to be an episodic bridge between Matt Reeves‘ 2022 feature “The Batman” and the upcoming sequel could return for subsequent seasons. Colin Farrell, who had to undergo hours of makeup every day to portray the Gotham City mobster, has also now left the door open to reprising his role beyond “The Batman II.”
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Speaking in front of Los Angeles entertainment media at a preview for HBO and Max’s 2025 slate, Casey Bloys, the CEO of the jewel of Warner Bros. Discovery, made it clear he’s down for it Reeves and showrunner Lauren LeFranc are.
“Well, that’ll be Matt and Lauren really deciding,” Bloys says. “And Matt, obviously is writing the movie and they’re going to shoot the movie and Colin’s going to be in that. And I think it would really be up to Matt and Colin and Lauren to see if there’s a story they’re interested in telling. I’m hopeful. Obviously, it’s been a lot of fun and I’m very successful, but I’ll let them figure out if there’s another story they want to tell.”
There have also been rumors of possibly crafting a stand-alone series about another villain in this grounded “Batman” universe, but Bloys says that has not been a serious topic of discussion.“No, we’ve been talking mostly about is there another story with him with the Penguin,” Bloys says “And again, I have to let Matt write the movie – I should say he’s writing it now – and I have to let him get that movie set up and moving. But again, they work really well together, so hopefully they’ll find something that they think is exciting.”
Whatever the future of the character, Bloys appreciated that Reeves and LeFranc could tell a stand-alone story.
“‘The Penguin’ is a very good example where the whole idea of exploring Penguin was something we talked about with [Matt],” “So, it was very helpful because he knows what’s going to happen in the movie. So he and Lauren came up with an arc that they feel fits into their movie. But generally speaking, I think it’s best when a show can stand on its own that you can enjoy it if you are a fan or you’re not a fan and you’re just coming to it. So I try to always think about that first.”
“The Penguin” is available on Max