Matt Reeves’ The Batman put a fresh, dark, and realistic spin on Gotham City in 2022, and the audience has been wanting more from this universe. Now, the world of Gotham is expanding with The Penguin, the prequel show that explores the journey of Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot.
One thing fans were expecting was to see Robert Pattinson’s Batman in The Penguin, as Penguin is popular because of Batman. Although Reeves did not bring Pattinson’s Batman into the series, it was not done without consideration.
Batman’s Absence in The Penguin
The story of The Penguin continues a week later from where The Batman left off. Colin Farrell returns as Oz Cobblepot after the death of Carmine Falcone as he attempts to rise higher through the ranks in the city. The 8-episode series created by showrunner Lauren LeFranc is going into the depths of Gotham’s crime world.
However, one of the main concerns regarding the series is the absence of Robert Pattinson’s Batman. While speaking to TV Insider, Reeves revealed that they had planned on including Batman in the show. But there was a big issue. He said,
Batman is such a powerful figure that if he comes in, he could mess with the narrative in a way. It would suddenly, in a way, be taken over by Batman, and we wanted this to be Oz’s moment, Sofia’s moment, Francis’s moment, Vic’s moment, and let this story be told. See the story of him having his rise, and so we toyed with it.
We tried to find the moment. We could never quite find the moment that didn’t step on what was important, which was telling their stories, [Oz’s] stories.
But it could have been done differently also. Reeves could have brought Batman as non-vigilante Bruce Wayne, not as the caped crusader. This way, the audience could still feel Batman’s presence without shifting the main focus from Oz’s Penguin.
Wayne’s presence could have been used as subtle storytelling to generate interest. Bruce Wayne meeting Oz in a high-society event or something similar could have added tension without going off track. This missed opportunity shows just how delicate it is to manage characters in a shared cinematic universe.
Setting the Stage for The Batman Part II
The Penguin isn’t just a spin-off series. It is a part of what Matt Reeves wants to be called “The Batman Epic Crime Saga.” In a recent conversation with Collider, Reeves revealed some of the details about The Batman Part II.
We are finishing up. Mattson [Tomlin] and I, we’re at it every day. We’re getting very close. We’ve given big portions of it to DC already and they’ve read it. They’re super excited and we want to be able to gear up early next year and shoot the movie next year. We’re getting close. It’s very exciting.
The Penguin is planned to be a link between The Batman and its sequel. That is why Reeves wanted to utilize TV to show how Batman’s villains started. It was intentional to create a layered and interconnected world before jumping to the next movies.
Reeves’ ideas were liked by HBO executives. Moreover, they were also telling him not to “hoard” all the best material for the movies. This push led to The Penguin getting permission to be a “Scarface story” of Oz’s rise to dominance.
The show connects with The Batman Part II. Matt Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin have completed the script for the planned sequel. However, despite all these connections, Reeves insisted that viewers do not necessarily have to watch The Batman to watch The Penguin. He wanted a shared universe by keeping each piece accessible to new viewers.
The Penguin drops new episodes on Sundays on HBO and Max.
The Batman Part II will be released in theaters on October 2, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Matt Reeves leave Batman out of The Penguin?
Speaking to TV Insider, Reeves explained that Batman is such a powerful figure that bringing him in could mess with the narrative, and he wanted the series to stay Oz’s moment. As he put it, the team tried but “could never quite find the moment that didn’t step on what was important” to the characters whose stories the show set out to tell.
How could Reeves have included Robert Pattinson without overshadowing The Penguin?
The article suggests an alternative approach existed: presenting the character as civilian Bruce Wayne rather than the caped crusader. In the piece’s framing, Wayne could have appeared at high-society events, creating subtle tension without diverting narrative attention from Oz’s story. The article offers this as an overlooked possibility that illustrates the difficulty of managing interconnected cinematic universes.
How does The Penguin connect to The Batman Part II?
The article describes The Penguin as a bridge between The Batman and its sequel within what Reeves calls the Batman Epic Crime Saga. Reeves told Collider the sequel script was nearly finished, with large portions already given to DC, and said he hoped to gear up and shoot the film. Production has since begun (principal photography started June 2026), and The Batman Part II is currently set to release October 1, 2027 after being delayed from earlier 2025 and 2026 dates.
